"If India wants 'equity' back in the climate change debate, it must develop a grand strategy and a strong negotiating team to see it through."
The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Lessons from the Durban Conference: The overall results of the Durban conference do not make comfortable reading for India. However, industrialised countries have now agreed to a 'second commitment period' of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires them to reduce their emissions in a legally binding manner, potentially up to 2020.
The most important decision that parties took at Durban was to replace the ongoing negotiating process on 'Long-term Cooperative Action' (LCA) with 'Durban Platform for Enhanced Action' which remarkably fails to make even a passing reference to the foundational principles of combating climate change on the basis of 'equity' and to preserve the notion of 'differentiation' between developed and developing countries, recognised through the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR) under UNFCCC.
The outcome of the Durban conference - and India's failure to attain most of its stated objectives - should now raise serious questions about the wisdom of its negotiating strategy, and especially its alliance management.
If the interests of billion Indians are to be adequately safeguarded in the coming decade and beyond, it is imperative that India develops both a coherent grand strategy to address climate change that enjoys broad cross-party parliamentary support, and a strong negotiating team to see it through.
Durban is a wake-up call that India must not ignore.
The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Lessons from the Durban Conference: The overall results of the Durban conference do not make comfortable reading for India. However, industrialised countries have now agreed to a 'second commitment period' of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires them to reduce their emissions in a legally binding manner, potentially up to 2020.
The most important decision that parties took at Durban was to replace the ongoing negotiating process on 'Long-term Cooperative Action' (LCA) with 'Durban Platform for Enhanced Action' which remarkably fails to make even a passing reference to the foundational principles of combating climate change on the basis of 'equity' and to preserve the notion of 'differentiation' between developed and developing countries, recognised through the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR) under UNFCCC.
The outcome of the Durban conference - and India's failure to attain most of its stated objectives - should now raise serious questions about the wisdom of its negotiating strategy, and especially its alliance management.
If the interests of billion Indians are to be adequately safeguarded in the coming decade and beyond, it is imperative that India develops both a coherent grand strategy to address climate change that enjoys broad cross-party parliamentary support, and a strong negotiating team to see it through.
Durban is a wake-up call that India must not ignore.
