With countries getting ready to present their respective climate action plan in advance ahead of the crucial Paris talks, India on Wednesday appealed the rich nations to vacate the carbon space for developing and emerging economies.
It would be possible only if developed countries, whose per capita respective carbon emission is much higher than those of the developing counterparts, cut their emissions substantiallly both duing the pre-2020 and the post-2020 periods.
Articulating the point, India’s environment, forests and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar said, “The developed world which has occupied large carbon space today must vacate the space to accomodate developing and emerging economies. We need to understand that ultimately the per capita emission of both developed and developing countries need to move towards a convergent path”.
He was speaking at African Ministerial Conference on Environment in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday. India has been invited to this Conference for the first time.
Referring to the crucial climate negotiations this year in run up to the final talks in Paris where a global deal is expected to be signed in December, Javadekar said, “Any negotiations must be based on the principles of equity and fairness. There has to be equitable sharing of the carbon space….We must also respect the equilibrium of commitments under the convention (UNFCCC) between developed and developing countries. The right to development has to be respected while collectively moving towards greener growth trajectory”.
He emphasized that the developed countries have to take lead in this regard.
“The emission reduction targets that developed countries agree to for pre-2020 period must be ambitious and reflective of their commitment to the cause. We (developing countries) on our part shall do our actions on our own commitment for inter-generational equity and in our fight against climate change though we are not required to such actions as per Kyoto Protocol”, said the minister.
As the countries are in the process of formulating their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), the minister said, “Certain issues need immediate attention. One of those is technology transfer along with know how at an affordable cost, so that we are able to move expeditiously towards lowering of the energy intensity of our economic growth and improving energy efficiency in various sectors”.
Expressing his anguish that the pledges for Green Climate Fund are inadequate, Javadekar said, “The issue of critical technology is still unresolved. Time is short. The world must act fast. If we want Paris Convention to happen smoothly, we need to sort out these issues well in time”.
