New Delhi: India made it clear that unilateral trade measures can restrict multilateralism and that finance will be the key issue for climate action in the developing world. It also emphatically said the developed world should leave the remaining carbon space in favour of developing countries, invest significantly more in negative emission technologies and fulfil their obligations under the UN Climate Convention.
On Tuesday, India made two interventions, one on behalf of the Like Minded Developing Countries and another on behalf of BASIC bloc which includes Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
“We, the LMDC, speak here for over half the world’s population. As we celebrate multilateralism, we must be cognizant of the factors that can seriously undermine multilateralism. This is the most opportune moment to meaningfully discuss climate change, related trade restrictive unilateral measures and how they impact our countries,” said Suman Chandra, director, ministry of new and renewable energy. She also said that India proposed an agenda item on article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement which mandates that developed countries provide financial resources to assist developing countries. “In this era of implementation, the needs are among some of the biggest detriments for developing countries. And that is why we have presented our proposal for an agenda…” she said.
Further, Chandra said it is ten years of the Paris Agreement and 33 years of the Convention.
“The fact that all of us are gathered here is a testament to our commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation. Presidencies and presiding officers, while celebrating milestones, it is important to what we stand for and who we stand for in the process,” she said while cautioning that it is an imperative to not use the 10-year milestone to change the very architecture of the Paris Agreement. “We must remain committed to and guided by equity and common but differentiated responsibilities. The cornerstone principles of the Convention and its Paris Agreement all were signed by us in Brazil back in 1992. We must reaffirm our strongest commitment to the principles here, not attempt to sideline and ignore it. Over the next two weeks, we must stay true to the cause and advance adaptation, which is among the most important issues for us. Adaptation finance needs are ever increasing and a huge adaptation finance gap stares us in the face,” she said.
Chandra said the negotiations should be guided by the principles of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).
“Reports state that needs exceed nearly 15 times the existing finance flows. We are also not on track to double international public adaptation finance, a meager sum to begin with by 2025. On the GGA, the means of implementation indicators must reflect the progress of finance, technology, transfer and capacity building provided by developed countries to developing countries in line with Article 9, 10 and 11 of the Paris Agreement,” Chandra said.
In the Just transition issue, Chandra called for the establishment of institutional arrangements that systematically integrate the principles of the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement in the implementation of the JWTP.
“We also look forward to the launch of the Technology Implementation Programme as a key catalyst to drive ambitious means of implementation to developing countries to implement their NDCs and to strengthen support for the implementation of technology priorities identified by the developing countries as well as to address key barriers for technology transfers from the developing countries,” she said.
“Since this is a CO[P for the truth, let us affirm the truth. We are not here to point fingers, but the facts speak for themselves. We cannot simply bypass the roadblocks and impediments to implementation. Let us address them meaningfully and collectively. We assure you of our complete support and take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to work constructively and collectively for the greater good of the mother earth and our people,” Chandra said on behalf of India.
In its intervention on behalf of BASIC also, India made some pertinent points about the need for developed countries to transition to net zero emissions much earlier than planned. It also said that it is upto the Parties to update their nationally determined contributions guided by the outcomes of the Global Stocktake at COP28.
“At outset, we express our full and unwavering support for multilateralism and international cooperation on climate change, particularly in the current geopolitical context. This COP will be organised 10 years after the Paris Agreement was signed and has now evolved to incorporate all its multi-faceted dimensions to achieve its key objectives,” said Tanmay Kumar, secretary, MoEFCC.
“COP30 should be the COP of adaptation. Adaptation is the most pressing necessity for regions of the most vulnerable worldwide. The majority of them have contributed the least to global warming but will suffer the most from its impacts. Its impacts are brutal and immediate and affecting probably the majority of the billions of people residing in the developing nations,” Kumar said.
COP30 needs to deliver a strong outcome on global global adaptation and we should all agree on a minimum package of indicators from the UAE Belém Work Programme, including the provisions of means of implementation while demonstrating flexibility and deserving some of the remaining indicators for further technical discussions as needed, he said.
Further, Kumar said there is an urgent need for a clear, transparent and universally agreed definition of climate finance under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement to ensure not only predictability, accessibility, transparency and trust in finance to grow, but to also ensure scale, scope and speed of finance.
“They (developed countries) need to reach net zero much earlier than projected to release the remaining carbon space in favour of developing countries, invest significantly more in negative emission technologies and fulfill their obligations under the convention…” he said.
Kumar further explained that the successful completion of the GST at COP28 was a welcome affirmation but the Paris Agreement’s architecture should not be revisited.
“Hence revising and updating the NDCs as informed by the first GST is left to parties in accordance with the Paris Agreement.”
Kumar said the JTWP is very important for developing countries. It should serve as a vehicle to strengthen the implementation of principles of equity and justice in climate change mitigation and adaptation and encompass the whole of economy and the whole of society approach.
At COP30, CEEW study said if the world’s most responsible economies contributed just 0.08 per cent of GDP to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, it could unlock USD 60 billion annually—a 75-fold increase over current pledges of roughly USD 800 million. While still below the USD 400 billion per year sought by developing countries, such a floor would raise global commitments to 15 per cent of the required finance, up from 0.2 per cent that has been currently mobilised.
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