Equity remains central plank of Indian climate stance: PM

Equity remains central plank of Indian climate stance: PM

TNN | Feb 17, 2012, 04.33AM IST

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told chief climate negotiators of South Africa, Brazil and China that 'equity' and the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' will remain central to India's stance at the UN talks as the world negotiates a post-2020 climate regime. He also said India would continue to work closely with the BASIC nations and the developing countries group of G77+China.

The chief negotiators met Singh during their visit to Delhi for the meeting of BASIC countries. The signal from the PM was translated into the joint communique by the four countries after the meeting which concluded on February 14. The statement read, "They reaffirmed that the process launched at Durban is not to renegotiate or rewrite the convention and that this process and its outcome shall be under the convention and in full accordance with all its principles and provisions, in particular the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities."

Sources told TOI that the three nations also appreciated the role played by environment and forests minister Jayanthi Natarajan at the Durban meet. Her clear stance had stitched a closer alliance, especially with China, and kept the BASIC group intact despite some internal diversions and ensured that India's agenda and red lines were not crossed at the climate meet in December last year.

At the BASIC meeting in Delhi, they came out in full support of the PM and the minister's views on equity and in order to quell any doubts stated that the new regime would only come up under the existing convention which already enshrines these principles.

The four countries also raised the bar for EU by linking any future talks on a new regime under what is called the 'Durban Platform' to the developed countries turning their commitments given at Durban into exact targets for emission reductions by May 2012. In a hint that the rest of the talks running through 2012 could be jeopardized unless the EU and other developed countries took 'economy wide quantified emission reduction objectives', the four warned that such targets were the first step to future talks. They also took a strong view against the unilateral EU carbon tax on aviation and said such a move "would seriously jeopardize the international efforts to combat climate change".

Sources at the meeting said all four countries had firmly opposed the aviation tax EU had threatened to impose and it could create an impasse at the UN climate talks.

The meeting of the four BASIC members was critical as all countries are expected to submit their formal notes to the UN on how the talks under 'Durban Platform' for the post-2020 climate regime should be framed.