Climate summit: Responsibility of developed nations stressed
Both India and the United States stuck to their respective stand on the differentiation of countries according to the Kyoto Protocol which had clear divisions for the developed countries as annexe one and developing countries as non annexe one.
Union Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar on Monday said that this differentiation should remain as it is. India is not in favour of rewriting the Protocol to change the categorisation of countries, he pointed out in a clear indication that historical responsibilities of the developed countries would continue to be a determining factor in funding adaptation and technology transfer. .
The BASIC or Brazil, South Africa, India, and China group of countries will meet this week and he said the countries are all on the same page on several issues. They also agreed that the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) should have a strong adaptation focus. "What carbon space have you released for us to grow?" Mr. Javadekar asked, adding that adaptation needs to be an essential part of the INDCs of developed countries. BASIC also wants developed
countries to make more meaningful financial contributions.
Mr. Javadekar said India was opposed to an ex ante review process and he said countries needed the internal freedom to determine their domestic climate action needs. He said that new climate legislation in India would include a review of laws on forest, wildlife, environment, water, and air and proposed amendments to make the laws and rules transparent. He also emphasized the fact that India would not accept a review of its climate targets in a bilateral meeting with
the head of the delegation of the United States, Todd Stern. An official statement said they discussed issues related to Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC)s, pre 2020 ambitions and elements of the 2015 agreements including mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer framework and capacity building. Mr.Javadekar said that the target of 20,000 MW Solar Energy production had been increased to 100 GW during next 5 years which would save a huge amount of coal.
He said the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) should be at heart of the Paris Agreement. He also reiterated the need for technology upgradation through joint collaborative research and expressed concern at the availability of limited Carbon Space for the growth imperatives of developing countries. The US delegation indicated that 1992 Annexes of the convention need to be redefined. Both the delegations agreed to continue to work jointly to make the outcome of Lima COP positive and acceptable, the statement said.
