Adaptation must be fully reflected in 2015 Paris deal: India

India today demanded that the key issue of adaptation must be fully reflected in the new climate agreement to be signed in Paris next year and developed nations should give enough carbon space to developing nations to achieve sustainable growth.
As the negotiations to finalise the 2015 climate deal entered its crucial last days here in the Peruvian capital, Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar said, "The new post-2020 agreement should ensure a balance between mitigation and adaptation. The urgent need for adaptation must be fully reflected in the new agreement."
"Developing countries will not get the carbon space to achieve sustainable development unless there is more ambitious commitments from developed countries in the pre-2020 era," he said addressing the high-level segment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP20).

"If we believe that the global warming threat is real, then we must deliver on the agreed commitments as a matter of priority," he said, adding it is important therefore for developed countries to urgently fulfil their legal obligations in the pre-2020 period.
"They must scale up their mitigation ambition now and urgently fulfil their promises for providing financial and technological support to developing countries," he added.
He echoed the consistent message of the Indian delegation as well as other developing countries that the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of all countries should include elements of adaptation, finance, technology and capacity building.

"It is equally evident that developing countries could do more if finance, technology support and capacity building is ensured. This must be a key focus of the new agreement," he said.

The Minister said India is committed and ready to play its part in the global fight against climate change.
"We look forward to successful conclusion to the Lima COP. In fact, we hope that this COP will prove to be an exception to the rule and finish its work before on Friday 12th December itself!," he said.
He said India hopes to achieve a positive outcome from the Lima meeting "which will set us on the path to an ambitious, comprehensive and equitable agreement at Paris next year".

"We hope to put in place in Lima, the stepping stones towards a post-2020 agreement under the Convention that is comprehensive, balanced, equitable and pragmatic.