Attempts to dilute CBDR: India at climate talks

India and other developing countries have complained that attempts are being made by the US and the EU to do away with a key principle according to which all nations are responsible for addressing the climate change.

The move came as the UN Climate Conference to create a rule book on how to control greenhouse gases post-2020 entered the crucial stage in Poland.

During the negotiations at various levels, developed countries led by the US and the European Union made attempts to dilute the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle, but India and other developing nations strongly resisted their move, citing the historical responsibility of the developed nations in emitting carbon dioxide contributing to global warming.

"There should be no dilution of differentiation (CBDR) in operationalising the rules for the Paris agreement. The principles enshrined in the Paris agreement need to be respected while framing the rules," Indian climate diplomat Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.

Countries in Katowice are negotiating the rules that will operationalise the 2015 Paris agreement.

For two days, negotiators have been trying to make progress on a host of contentious issues relating to the rule book without many breakthroughs.

On Monday, the Trump administration organised an event to promote coal at the venue of UN Climate Conference, drawing flak from civil society organisations which dumped the US action as "disruptive" at the 24th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP24) of the UN Climate Conference here.