A two-day international conference on "Global Carbon Budget and Climate Change" began in Mumbai today. The conference was inaugurated by Union Environment Minister, Mr. Jairam Ramesh. The conference is been organised by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) with support of the environment ministry. It is expected that the conference will undertake an in-depth discussion of carbon budgets and equity that will assist the Government of India in pursuing a strategy for an equitable, fair and feasible outcome in climate negotiations. At the centre of interest will be a more stringent per capita principle in terms of greenhouse gas stocks (rather than in terms of only annual emissions) and issues related to the operationalising of the 'equal per capita' principle.<br/>