Developing nations' bloc walk out over lack of commitment to climate fund

The Times of India , Thursday, November 21, 2013
Correspondent : Vishwa Mohan
WARSAW: In a rare show of strength against rich nations, the G77+China Group, comprising almost all developing countries, walked out of the negotiations on crucial Loss and Damage (L&D) issue early Wednesday morning. The move sent a strong message that poor nations are not going to give an elbow space to the US-led group unless they get commitment over financial aid.

Though the Indian representative was not there in the contact group meeting where the discussion on L&D was held through the night at the National Stadium here, New Delhi accepted the decision taken by the G77+China Group. The walkout has happened for the first time during the ongoing climate talks.

"We totally agree with the G-77 position. This is a very weak draft (on loss and damage) and we totally support the walkout. It is extremely diluted and makes no commitment to the loss and damage. This is not something that we can accept. We are part of the G-77," Indian environment and forest minister Jayanthi Natarajan said when asked about the move.

L&D is a mechanism - coined by developing countries during previous climate conference - where poorest and most vulnerable nations want financial assistance on the premise that they had to suffer losses due to the damage caused by high emissions of greenhouse gases by rich countries during industrialization.

It also refers to their demand that they must be paid for the damage that will occur to life and property from the level of emissions already up there in the atmosphere and that cannot be prevented even by mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Besides the US, Australia and Canada have been adamant against setting up a separate mechanism and came out with a diluted draft during the contact group meeting.

The European Union (EU) showed some liberal approach but it also wanted the mechanism for L&D should not be finalized at least in the Warsaw conference of parties (COP19) on climate change issues.

Stating her country's position over L&D, Natarajan said, "In the context of vulnerability of the developing countries and small island states, India has advocated a special focus on loss and damage and mechanism to address it. It should be guided by an assessment of vulnerability of various countries".

As a solution to the existing impasse over the issue, she said, "A separate window can be created under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to address it."

The GCF is meant to mobilize $100 billion annually, beginning 2020, for adaptation and mitigation efforts. The developed countries are yet to come out with any timeline for even the Green Climate Fund, leaving the poor nations quite suspicious of the rich nations' stand.

The walkout came a day after the G77+China had threatened to boycott the negotiations when rich countries stuck to their stand. The move, however, cannot be seen as a complete breakdown over the issue.

It is learnt that developed countries have been discussing the issues among themselves behind the scene so that they can finally come out with something concrete on the matter, specifically when the atmosphere here has been quite surcharged over what had happened due to Typhoon Haiyan that had left thousands of people killed in the Philippines just two days before the beginning of this climate conference.

Head of the Philippines' delegation, Yab Sano, during his inaugural speech on November 11, had left participants from 195 countries stunned when he broke down to tears while putting across his government's point of view referring to Typhoon Haiyan and asked the rich nations to honour their financial commitment.

The formal proposal of the Group, comprising 133 countries, over the L&D says the climate talks under the UNFCCC at Warsaw should agree "that the international mechanism is established to address loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change from extreme and slow onset events in developing country parties, especially the least developed countries and small island developing states and other developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change."

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Developing-nations-bloc-walk-out-over-lack-of-commitment-to-climate-fund/articleshow/26110077.cms?
 


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