News | Climate Change

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/BASIC-to-meet-in-Delhi-discuss-targets-under-Hagen-accord/articleshow/5431868.cms

NEW DELHI: Even as India maintains that it is ready to meet the January 31 deadline to specify steps it would take to reduce emissions, a final decision likely only after the BASIC countries meets in the third week of January. Minister of state for environment Jairam Ramesh has made it clear that there would be no new announcements beyond the voluntary commitment of reducing emission intensity by 20 to 25% from 2005.

Environment ministers of BASIC countries—Brazil, South Africa, India and China—will be meeting in New Delhi in the third week of January. “I have invited my counterparts in the BASIC group to attend a meeting in New Delhi in the third week of January before everyone finalises the entry into the appendix,” Mr Ramesh said.

India set a voluntary target to cut its carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon dioxide released per unit of GDP, by 20 to 25% by 2020 from 2005 levels. No additional measures will be offered to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The January 31 deadline is for countries to list actions and targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions. These commitments will become operational with immediate effect. However, on issues like technology, finance and REDD, there will be no movement as the Copenhagen Accord was not adopted by the conference of parties, that is general assembly of all 194 countries. How the BASIC countries will respond to this situation is likely to be an important issue of the January meeting.

“The main challenge is that an agreement by 29 countries needs to be converted into one by 194 countries,” Mr Ramesh said. Already Cuba has formally informed the UNFCCC that it will not support the Accord. At the plenary in Copenhagen, the Accord was opposed by Venezuela, Bolvia, Cuba and Sudan. Meanwhile, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Maldives have officially notified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change of their intention to sign on to the Copenhagen Accord on climate change.

The BASIC countries will also need to work out a strategy of engaging the Accord with a view to retaining the two track—Kyoto Protocol and Long-term Co-operative Action (Bali)—process. Mr Ramesh has maintained that the Copenhagen Accord has not sidelined the multilateral process, instead that it would provide a boost to the process.