India wants roadmap for Paris deal implementation be finalised

India wants a broad outline or roadmap for the implementation of the Paris agreement to be finalised at the crucial climate change conference here, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said today.
The Environment Minister, who arrived here to attend the high-level segment of the ongoing Conference of Parties (CoP22) which begins tomorrow, said India will push the world for adopting a low carbon lifestyle during discussions.
Asked about India's stand on pressure from civil society groups on governments to put an end to coal usage especially with the country's heavy dependence on it, Dave said a decision cannot be reached by becoming an activist but one has to think "holistically".

"Whatever goals were fixed in Paris, the countries need to make route maps of that (here). Off course it will be for the post 2020 period. But if we do not talk and decide about it today (in Marrakech) how will such big nations form their policies," Dave said.
"If the Marrakech conference makes even a broad outline of it, it will be a big achievement for us and for the world as we will at least finalise the routes of the Paris agreement. We can do the detailing in the next two years. But major goals should be finalised. These are the expectations," he said on the sidelines of an event at the India Pavilion here.

The CoP22 started on November 7 and will go on till November 18 as nations continue their work on strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, with the central focus on enhancing ambition, promoting implementation and providing support.

Before the start of the conference, the Environment Ministry had said India will push the agenda of sustainable lifestyle at the global climate conference apart from focussing on the issue of mobilising finances, which has been its "overriding" concern, to tackle climate change.
Dave said India will push the issue of following a low carbon lifestyle during the summit which all nations including developed and developing countries need to follow and asserted that unless all the countries do this, talks will not yield results.

He also referred to the example of Delhi where he said despite pollution levels being high, people continue to burst crackers.
"We will push for low carbon lifestyles. We had taken it up in pre-CoP meetings as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in Paris also talked about it (that countries need to decrease carbon emissions)," Dave said.
"...Its like that Delhi situation, you are bursting crackers even in marriage processions but you know breathing has become a problem then how it will work. Everybody (nations) has to decrease (emissions)," Dave said.
India is likely to stress the urgency to take adaptation

action as adaptation in the agriculture sector from the point of view of food security is a key priority for developing countries.
India is also likely to push operationalisation and meaningful outcomes from the new bodies set up under the Paris agreement which includes technology framework and Paris committee on capacity building.
Asked about India's stand on civil society groups urging governments to put an end to the usage of coal, Dave said, "They are raising their own points. But when you make policies for your country or for the world, one cannot do that by being activists."
"One has to think about it holistically. You cannot shut down all the machinery like railways etc. They are putting up their point that is good. We will think about it in totality and then take a decision," he said.

Asked how India will work on the issue of water in terms of climate change adaptation measures, Dave said India will coming out with a full agenda "exclusively" on water in 2017.