Must not go back on climate deal: India on behalf of BASIC
Brazil, South Africa and China urge climate negotiators gathered in Poland to ensure focus on green funds, ‘equity’ role
NEW DELHI: India, while representing the BASIC grouping, has said that Brazil, South Africa and China believe there should be no backsliding on the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement and that “climate finance” and “equity” are the most important elements that need to be included in the rulebook – a set of tenets that will finalise the implementation of the deal struck in the French capital.
The declaration, made on Wednesday at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (better known as COP24), came even as discussions between representatives of 195 nations to discuss the final rulebook threatened to devolve into a deadlock.
Developed and developing countries are at odds over the specific wordings of the rulebook that will lay down a roadmap for controlling emissions after 2020, with one of the latest irritants between the sides being the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) recent report that said a failure to limit global warming to 1.5 degree over pre-industrial levels will lead to consequences.
India said it “welcomes” the report, indicating a degree of acceptance for the findings that countries such as the United States were uncomfortable with.
AK Mehta, additional secretary, environment ministry said BASIC expects no “back-sliding” on the spirit and terms of the Paris Agreement. “As BASIC countries, we have a common position of multilateralism. We want a good agreement. Finance is extremely important. BASIC is willing to exercise necessary flexibility and it is also very clear we don’t want any backsliding on the Paris Agreement in the Paris rulebook,” he said.
He added that equity – a principle that means developed countries take the lead in curbing emissions while developing and least developed countries take action in accordance to their capacities — should be incorporated in the rulebook.
The negotiators have only two days to thrash out a final text, leading experts to fear that Katowice may yield a “weak” rulebook.
Derek Hanekom, minister of tourism, South Africa said, “We have to keep global warming well below 2 degree. There is no doubt about that. But there has to be balance and recognition that countries are not in same position. It needs a differentiated approach.”
He also stressed that climate finance currently is far short of what is needed by countries to be able to adapt to climate change.
According to recent estimates, climate specific finance flows from Annex II Parties (which includes US, Australia and European Union) in 2016 amounts to only around $38 billion, which is less than 40% of the $100 billion target identified in the Paris agreement.
“We welcome the recent IPCC Special Report which tells us that human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels and is currently increasing at 0.2°C per decade. The vulnerable populations are the worst hit by extreme weather events due to lack of resources to cope with them. The report enjoins upon us to collectively address the issues of climate change with urgency that it deserves,” said environment minister Harsh Vardhan while making a statement on India’s stand. He added that the outcome “at Katowice should be inclusive, consensus based.”
“Considering that the Paris agreement itself is a weak regime, having a weaker rulebook will make it inconsequential. This is something that the world cannot afford. It would a better choice to have no rulebook here at Katowice than have a weak, ineffectual rulebook,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). CSE is recommending that countries should work for another year to develop a consensus on a strong rulebook and then finalise it by 2019.