Al Gore for transparency from developed, developing nations

The former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate called for transparency in the contentious issue of financial commitments by developed countries and monitoring of domestic actions that developing nations are resisting.

"If their is transparency to both of these measures then it has a feeling of fairness and equality," he said.

"The world community should know the pledges (financial) are not going to result of the repositions of the old pledges.

"At the same time it is difficult for me to understand why the world should not also ask for the ability for itself whether or not the pledges of mitigation from the largest global warming polluters in the work are in fact being honoured for mitigation that is supported and unsupported," he added.

Emerging economies India and China have made it clear that they will not allow international scrutiny of their national voluntary measures taken that count as "unsupported action" (not backed by funds or technology from outside).

"All evaluation for unsupported action will be done domestically and unaccountability will be with our Parliament and nobody else," India Environment Minister Ramesh said on his third day at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference where he is currently attending ministerial meetings

Ramesh stressed that the results of the discussion of the Parliament assessment would be shared the United Nations body on Climate Change.

"Whatever we do with Parliament will be submitted to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) for information," he said, adding the guidelines of inspection laid down by the UNFCCC would be followed.
India is ready to share with the UNFCCC through a national communication the progress on both supported and unsupported action but the latter would only be posted for "information".

Gore called for transparency to be "levied at China and other countries that have been reluctant to allow the world community intended mitigation measures-–supported and non-supported.

However, Gore also called for transparency for the "financial commitments" made by developed countries, pointing out that developing nations had been frustrated by the lack of transparency needed to verify the progress by developed countries in honouring their pledge of financial support.

"How many times have questions been raised about whether or not a new pledge is actually the repurposing of an old pledge? How many times has the same money been pledged 2, 3 and 4 times?" Gore said.

"We need transparency for developed countries, developing countries and emerging economies," he said, as the crowded room burst into applause.