Deadline troubles

Finalising India's climate change targets (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) for the Paris summit took more than 30 draft versions, before the final one was sent to the Cabinet for approval. The numbers had been decided but the language in the 48-page document was important to nuance India's position well before the Paris round of negotiations start on November 30. While all eyes were on the targets India would commit to, senior environment ministry officials were toiling away for weeks, fine-tuning the words around it. The document had to reflect a positive agenda and yet not suggest that India was willing to give up on the fundamental principles that some developed countries want deleted or diluted in the Paris deliberations. The effort to release the document in Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) and yet meet the informal deadline of October 1 for the United Nations tied the ministry up in knots.