Protecting lives

India must emerge from Warsaw with a climate change deal

Coming just before the fortnight-long United Nations-sponsored negotiations on climate change began in Warsaw, the catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines served as a grim reminder of the dangers of global warming, weird weather, and the urgent need for a new climate deal. Though typhoons are not uncommon in the Philippines, each of the past few cyclones to hit the archipelago has been worse than the previous one. The sea storm Haiyan is among the worst natural disasters in the world. Wind speeds of 313 kilometres per hour (kmph) with gusts of up to 378 kmph were seldom seen earlier. Similar weather-related natural disasters have been occurring rather frequently in recent years elsewhere in the world as well - not excluding India, where Uttarakhand fell victim to cloud burst in June and Odisha to a very severe cyclone, Phailin, in October.

These events, coupled with the reassertion in the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that such ruinous weather extremes will become even more frequent henceforth, are bound to set the tone for discussions at the Warsaw meet. They add to a litany of woes: a changed global rainfall pattern, including the Indian monsoon; diminishing snow cover; and swelling mean sea levels. Atmospheric carbon, the IPCC says, will in 25 years hit levels that would jeopardise reaching the revised goal of limiting the rise in global temperature to two degrees Celsius.

The task of the over 190 delegates assembled in Warsaw is two-pronged: first, to find ways and means to stem the ongoing increase in the levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the short run; and second, to move forward in crafting a longer-term binding deal to succeed the extended Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2020. This will inevitably mean greater focus on the use of renewable and other forms of clean energy; curbing emissions from vehicles, industries and agriculture; phasing out refrigerants such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons; and promoting carbon sequestration through reforestation. Naturally, rich countries and major per capita emitters, such as China, should bear the brunt of this burden. India, meanwhile, needs to forcefully state its case for assistance with mitigation and adaptation, especially monetary and technological support. This is a matter of the highest priority. It is worth questioning whether the Union government, which, according to reports, has downsized its manpower commitment to climate change negotiations, is treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves. In many ways, Warsaw is the last chance to get a deal that allows India to grow with assistance from the world - without having to suffer the extremes of weather that would take the lives of its citizens and set back development efforts in the poor areas so affected. In doing so, the government must be willing to accept international scrutiny of the mitigation and adaptation efforts that it puts in place using multilateral money. India must emerge from Warsaw with a deal that protects its people.