New Delhi:
India has voiced its strong concern over a revised draft accord released at the climate summit in Paris and said that putting polluters and victims on the same level cannot lead to a durable solution. New Delhi says that developed nations should take the lead in reducing emissions instead of shifting the burden on developing countries like India.
Here are the latest developments:
Pointing out that there was no indication of scaling of finance by developed nations in the draft, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that it was "deeply disappointing" that while they failed to fulfil their obligations, they were also trying to "shift their responsibilities to developing nations."
The first draft of the Paris Outcome, prepared after two days of high-level ministerial deliberations, was released by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Wednesday. The text has been streamlined to 29 pages from a 43-page version and has been circulated to all the 186 negotiating countries.
"I must stress that the concept of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) is a great innovation and has proved a game-changer. It has enabled the participation of over 186 countries. Yet, INDCs are not even mentioned in the draft," Mr Javadekar said at a negotiating session.
Describing the latest draft as the "starting point for the final push", the Environment Minister said that there were many "points of departure" at this stage of negotiations and that, much work is needed to reach a point of convergence.
India also made it clear that the agreement which is being crafted "must carefully" balance climate ambition and the principle of differentiation, citing both as equally important.
Mr Javadekar said that several of India's concerns including unilateral measures, sustainable lifestyles and climate justice did not find a mention in the draft. "We will examine the draft carefully and engage with all our partners to reach an agreement," the minister said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, at the start of the climate summit in Paris last month, called upon world leaders to ensure "climate justice" so that "the lives of a few do not cloud opportunities for those on initial steps of development ladder".
Since negotiations began in Paris, India has been criticised, mostly by the western media, on its plans to expand its usage of coal to meet its energy needs. US Secretary of State John Kerry had, in fact, said that India would be a "challenge" to deal with in Paris, triggering a strong reaction from New Delhi.
On Monday, US President Barack Obama spoke to PM Modi over the phone during which the two leaders emphasised their "personal commitment" to secure a "strong" climate agreement.
In Paris, almost 200 governments are seeking an agreement that will bind both rich and poor to limit greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020 to try to stave off the worst effects of global warming on the Earth's climate.
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