India opposes attempt to link action on emissions to farming

SHARM EL SHEIKH: India on Thursday communicated strong objections to discussions under a special UN Framework Convention on Climate Change effort known as the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, which has sought to expand efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouses gases to the agriculture sector.

According to people aware of the matter, a draft decision under the Koronivia Joint Work mentions mitigation — the efforts to reduce emissions — multiple times.

“Noted that many approaches with high potential for adaptation, adaptation co-benefits and mitigation relate to land and food systems, such as conserving and restoring ecosystems, improving sustainability of agricultural practices and reducing food loss and waste from sustainable food systems,” it states.

India however said these are not “luxury” emissions but “survival” emissions of the poor. By seeking to extend the scope of mitigation to agriculture, India has contended, developed countries “want the world agriculture, lands and seascapes to become a site of mitigation for their profligate, excessive emissions”.