Left criticises Copenhagen deal
Mixed response from experts
The Copenhagen Accord has received mixed response in India with climate experts divided on its implications for the country while Left parties and some NGOs have attacked it.
“Basically, the climate deal struck in Copenhagen is the first step towards a more comprehensive legal framework to tackle global warming,” Nitin Desai, a member of Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change, said.
He said things would be clearer early next year when developed countries “declare their commitments” as per the deal in Copenhagen.
Navroz K Dubash, senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, felt the accord was “quite a weak deal” which was “highly inadequate” to address the challenge of global warming. The deal reached in Copenhagen on Saturday does not commit any nation to emissions cuts beyond a general acknowledgement that global temperatures should be held along the lines agreed to by leading nations in July.
On the issue of review of mitigation actions, Dubash said that definitely, India’s stand had been diluted on the issue.
The issue had become a sticking point in the negotiations and an agreeable formulation was reached at only after US President Barack Obama stepped in to break the logjam meeting the leaders of Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
“With the provision for international consultations (on mitigation action), national sovereignty will be respected,” said Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe). However, Desai had a different take on it.
“In my opinion, no,” he said when asked whether India’s position had been diluted by it agreeing to enter into ‘international consultations’ on its mitigation actions.
“I do not see the word review in the text (of the Accord),” he said.
“We will have to see how things unfold in the future,” said Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.
The Left parties had criticised the accord alleging that the world leaders had failed their people by not delivering an effective and equitable climate change agreement.
“The apprehensions of all poor nations that ultimately a deal will be imposed by the US has proved correct. It is a sorry spectacle of succumbing to US pressure,” the CPI said in a statement.
In a similar statement, the CPI(M) Politburo said “the political leaders who gathered in Copenhagen have failed their people by not delivering an effective and equitable climate change agreement.”
“Something is better than nothing. We have to move ahead and cannot confine ourselves in Kyoto Protocol since it was not encompassing all countries,” said B Mahtab, a Biju Janata Dal MP who was part of the Indian delegation to Copenhagen.
