Toughening stand…… Fantastic Jairam Ramesh!

Toughening stand……
Fantastic Jairam Ramesh!

(Madan Menon Thottasseri)
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Still India maintains tough in own stand and had to join with China while walking out of negotiations, apparently unhappy when developed nations go-off on their commitments under the Kyoto protocol to undertake emission cuts.

On Monday December 14, 2009 when negotiations at Copenhagen were briefly stalled over the opposition of developed countries to discuss their previous commitments under Kyoto Protocol, China stepped up pressure against the US and other Western powers. China’s Ambassador to India Zhang Yan calling for greater unity among developing countries amid what he termed as efforts to “split” this group.

Zhang reeled out statistics to make the point that the West was responsible for 72 per cent of the total CO2 emissions from 1850 to 2005 and then 50 per cent of the emissions in 2006. He had remarked that an empty talk about international cooperation or only talking about so-called shared responsibility, without taking up their historical responsibility can hardly convince the international community. The developed nations should remember that they have increased emissions when they needed to collectively reduce emissions by 5.2 per cent on 1990 levels according to the Kyoto Protocol.

As India and China sail on the same boat in the summit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the backdrop of current position of EU and U.S before the commencement of the final summit. Probably this will be the beginning of a new era wherein India and China have to jointly participate for the cause of the developing nations in many forums here after wards.

The Chinese Ambassador Zhang took exception to remarks from US questioning the rationale for offering financial support to growing economies like China for adapting to climate change. He had pointed out that providing financial support is their legal obligation (under Kyoto Protocol)and If they change their position or retreat from it, then it only shows that US and other Western countries don’t have the sincerity to fulfill their commitments. How the funds will be used is a matter to be worked out after the conference. Taking the argument further, he felt such statements could only be interpreted as a ploy to divide the developing countries. While he desisted from speculating on the final outcome of the conference, Zhang minced few words. “The developed countries are trying to split the developing countries. That is why it is important for developing countries to work together.”

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who is leading the Indian delegation, along with his counterparts from China, Brazil and South Africa walked out of the negotiations to meet Connie Hedegaard, the Danish President of the COP, and conveyed their protest to Connie Hedegaard, the Danish President of COP.

All formal meetings at the Summit here were put on hold following the development. Though there was no official word on what led the leaders to stage a walkout from the ministerial-level talks, sources said the development followed a disagreement between the developing countries and the developed nations on the second commitment period after 2012.

It was known to all delegates that these four countries protested that due respect to their grievances and no focus was given to the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol that puts obligations on developed nations to undertake emission cuts.

In fact India had initiated for merging the Basic Draft ( of India, China, Brazil and S.Africa) with that of the draft of African nations of G-77 and there is an Afro-Basic draft getting declared. Basically, developing countries including small island countries have the same objective; it is just the matter of approach. But if we are divided by developed countries, then we reduce our own strength.

India thinks it right in not compromising on’ teen murti’ doctrine –NO LEGALLY BINDING EMISSION CUTS, NO PEAKING YEAR,NO INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF DOMESTIC FUNDED MITIGATIONS.

Fantastic Jairam Ramesh, you have rightly and boldly toughened Indian stand that the outcome of the summit have to be within the framework of UNFCC adhering to the Kyoto Protocol abiding by the Bali Action Plan.

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