Climate change: CSE lambasts Ramesh's stand

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) today criticised Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh for supporting a binding commitment on emission norms for all countries.

The Centre said that today, at the ongoing 16 Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Ramesh made a statement: “All countries, we believe, must take on binding commitments under appropriate legal form.”

This can only be construed as a complete departure from India’s traditional position in climate change negotiations, the Centre said and added that, interestingly, the minister’s official printed speech did not contain this statement.

“The minister reportedly added it extempore as he delivered his speech. Ramesh claimed that he had been under tremendous pressure to come out with this statement,” said CSE in a statement.

India has always maintained that its domestic mitigation actions (reduction in emissions intensity of the economy by 20-25 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020) are voluntary in nature and not binding international commitments.

“This statement means that now our internal domestic targets will be subject to a mechanism of verification and we will have to stick to those else there will be penalty just like in Kyoto Protocol,” explained Aditya Ghosh, senior coordinator, climate change, CSE.

“This is most unfortunate and uncalled for. The minister’s statement opens another door for internationalising India’s domestic commitments. It is difficult to understand what kind of pressure might have forced the minister to buckle down in this manner. Haven’t Indian negotiators stood their ground all these years despite all the pressure?,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director, CSE.