NEW DELHI: With hopes of a consensus eluding the Cancun climate meet, IPCC chairman R K Pachauri has urged host Mexico to be realistic and work hard in pushing rich nations to put climate funds on the table.
"There will be least expectations (of a consensus) this time (at Cancun). I doubt if you will get anything close to a global agreement. It is not possible particularly considering the situation in some countries," Pachauri said, apparently referring to delay of passage of US climate law.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has already acknowledged that the December meeting might not produce the definitive agreement the world body is seeking.
Talking to PTI, Pachauri said during his recent meeting with the Mexican leadership in the run-up to the crucial summit, he has cautioned them to be "realistic and don't pitch expectations very high because that will not really work."
Highlighting the need for an action on climate money, he told the host country "for heaven's sake please get the commitment on funding.
"So I think Mexico will have to work on some of these countries to see that they (developed nations) really put some money on the table," he said, noting that of the USD 30 billion agreed by the developed states between 2010-2012, no funds have been made available so far.
The head of the Noble-award winning Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), however, said he was looking forward for some limited agreements for concrete actions to control Green House Gases at the crucial meet slated to be held by the year-end.
Most countries at the Copenhagen Summit last year signed an accord that called on governments to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius, but without spelling out how to achieve this goal.
He made clear that at the multilateral level it was the responsibility of the developed nations to provide funds for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and not developing nations as has been demanded by some industrialised blocks.
"They (rich nations) have to take the first step but they are not doing that," he said, adding that at a bilateral level there was no harm in major developing countries like India pitching in to help the least developed nations.
"If it has money, I see no harm in India providing technical support to the needy countries at the bilateral level," he said.
