CSE says Javadekar statement in Lima on INDCs is "regressive"

The environment minister has said that India will not support ex-ante review of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)

Lima, December 10, 2014: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has termed the statement of the environment minister Prakash Javadekar here at the Climate meet -- that India would not support ex-ante review of the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs) -- as ‘regressive’. 

Review of INDCs is one of ways in which the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capability (CBDRC) can be brought back into the climate change negotiations. But India is neither supporting the review nor proposing any alternative mechanism, says Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of CSE.

Currently, INDCs do not guarantee fairness, ambition or adequacy. They also -- de-facto -- remove the differentiation between developed and developing countries as every country will now decide on and give their own domestic targets. Presently, there is no provision to hold countries like the US accountable, which is proposing just 12-14 per cent emissions reduction by 2025 from 1990 levels. 

Developed countries have refused to link INDCs with finance or technology support to developing countries in the present mechanism. There is, therefore, no equity in INDCs; neither are they going to be based on (CBDRC). 

Says Sunita Narain, director general, CSE: “India should demand that countries should justify their INDCs based on equity and CBDRC. Instead of opposing, India should give alternative proposal on how it wants countries to take action based on equity and CBDRC. Otherwise, it would seem that India is using the issue of equity to block a consensus.” 

The ultimate question: Does the Indian government take climate change seriously? If it does, it should argue for an ambitious agreement based on equity because that is the only way it can be effective. This is the last chance to get it right, adds Bhushan.