Prakash Javadekar has requested developed countries to refrain from introducing a new agenda at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris this fall. India and China feel the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol are good enough for demanding international commitment towards the issue, and are hoping to sign a favorable deal at the meeting.
Environment Minister Javadekar, says that annexes are included in the basic structure of the convention, originating from the historical responsibilities of richer countries which played a detrimental role in climate change on their way to development. He made this speech at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change at Luxembourg, in reaction to suggestions from a handful of nations that the annexes should not be part of the agreement.
The argument against having annexes in the international agreement to be signed in December 2015, is that INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) for post-2020 will result in differentiation through self-differentiation. Javadekar feels it’s not the right time to rewrite the convention, and the event in Paris should celebrate the universal but differentiated agreement based on what actions each country can take.
Not rolling out a new agenda at ‘this late hour’ will supposedly ensure the success of the Paris conference and give nations a chance to act on their promises. The European Union, the US, Mexico and Russia have already submitted their (INDCs) towards fighting global warming. India has kicked off a program called Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles, and is investing heavily in clean technologies.
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It was not compulsory for all nations to participate in the climate change dialogue until a few years ago. 2011’s historic UN conference in Durban determined that all countries must do something to contribute toward combating rising temperatures worldwide. In the 2013 meet in Warsaw, it was decided to allow each region to formulate their INDCs based on their capacity.
No rules for mitigating climate change are forced upon any nation. So it’s not clear why Javadekar thinks new agendas presented by the developed world will make much difference to the agreement to be inked in Paris.