‘Delink business from global warming issues’

The Times of India , Friday, November 22, 2013
Correspondent : By Vishwa Mohan,
WARSAW: Hitting out at developed countries for backtracking on their commitments to fight climate change, India on Thursday used the UN climate talks' platform to tell the rich nations not to treat global warming issues with a "business perspective of providing markets to domestic companies".

New Delhi also expressed dismay at decision of some of the rich nations like Japan, Canada and Australia to scale down ambition and lowering of targets of emissions of greenhouse gases.

Articulating the country's stand over climate change, environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan appealed to rich nations to take lead in fighting climate change, specifically when nothing concrete has emerged so far from the ongoing talks.

Her remarks came merely an hour before most of the NGOs, including from India, walked out from the conference citing the rich nations' failure to deliver on the promises made by them.

"Warsaw (on-going UN conference on climate change) must act....we must act and deliver here and now", said Natarajan, going beyond her written speech while addressing a gathering of ministers\representatives from 195 countries at the National Stadium here.

Though her speech stuck to what has been New Delhi's stated position for long, she chose the platform to raise the controversial issue of climate-damaging HFC gases and let the gathering know what India thinks about it and put it out as part of her formal written speech.

In a remark that may not go down well with the US, particularly on HFCs' issue, Natarajan said, "The issue should not be seen from a business perspective of providing markets to domestic companies."

Though she did not take names of countries or companies, her remarks articulated the concerns raised back home about reported attempts of the US to push the issue of phasing out HFCs only to benefit couple of American private companies who are manufacturing refrigerants using technology\substitutes whose cost is quite higher than the ones being used in India.

Putting across India's stand emphatically, the minister said, "The issue of HFC has to be addressed by us under this convention (UNFCCC). In the meeting of Montreal Protocol in Bangkok last month, many countries, including some from G-20, have opposed amendments to bring it under MP".

She made it clear that the developing countries, including India, would not move on it without complete clarity on the issue. She said, "Developing countries need clarity on identified substitutes, their costs, safety and economic feasibility.

The minister reiterated that the developing countries cannot take a "leap of faith without knowing the exact path and the pitfalls. It is time that we had an honest dialogue instead of raising rhetoric" — a remark which may be seen as India's flexibility if it gets technologically effective and economically viable solution which the New Delhi has been stating for the past couple of years at various platforms.

Montreal Protocol currently deals with phasing out only ozone depleting substances. Though the HFC is not an ozone-depleting gas, it contributes to global warming and consequently its phase-out, which comes under the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC, is the responsibility of rich nations.

Lashing out at developed countries for their failure to act on their pledge, Indian minister gave an example of Green Climate Fund — $100 billion annual kitty that is meant to be released for helping developing countries towards their adaptation and mitigation efforts to fight climate change.

Natarajan said, "It is time that our COP (conference of parties) delivered on finance. Simply creating the institutional arrangements like Green Climate Fund does not help as its coffers are still empty".

"The developed countries must take lead and incentivize actions for developing countries in these global efforts," she said.

The minister, however, emphasized on "public finance" as primary source of fund for climate finance — a move opposing the US-led group of rich nations who mostly pitch for private finance and market-based mechanism.

Taking on Japan, Canada and Australia for their recent decision to shelve their targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, Natarajan said, "In a scenario where we need to do more, not just on mitigation but adaptation, what I hear with dismay is the scaling down of ambition and lowering of targets for emission cuts by some countries".

Without taking name of any country, she said, "We still have seven years to go for 2020, and we cannot afford to give up the momentum at this point".

Interestingly, even the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon had early this week lashed out at these countries for watering down their commitments to fight global warming.

Some developed countries "that are supposed to be taking leadership are now backtracking," Ban had said while addressing this climate conference.

For the first time since the UN-led discussions started over climate issues in 1992, richer nations have recently shied away from their pledges to rein in emissions. Japan had last week shelved its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that the closure of nuclear reactors following the meltdown in Fukushima in March, 2011, has made meeting that goal impossible.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/environment/global-warming/delink-business-from-global-warming-issues/articleshow/26171876.cms
 


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