The statement issued at the end of the Copenhagen climate summit last December was a shabby face-saver. It was pushed through at the last minute by US president Barack Obama in his huddle with prime minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. It was not something that the summit arrived at through the concerted efforts of all participants.
The European Union (EU) kept out, and the African countries were not there. It was implied that the Copenhagen statement was no accord and that it was a mere declaration of intent. Everyone was dissatisfied with the outcome. In short, it was literally inconclusive because there was no basic agreement among the participants.
It is, therefore, surprising then that Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh should have told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that India is now officially associated with the Copenhagen statement along with Brazil, South Africa and many other developing countries of G77. A non-accord then gets the legitimacy of an accord. Perhaps the government’s move makes strategic sense because, as Ramesh has said, it is better to negotiate from within rather than from the outside.
The caveats that go with the decision do not exactly inspire confidence. The fact that the statement is not legally binding is hardly needed to be reiterated because no one has accepted it as an accord in the first place. That the intentions mentioned in the statement should be taken forward within the UN framework on climate negotiations is a non sequitur because no climate deal can be made by a group of countries among themselves.
The third condition, that the statement should be negotiated within the existing two-track system, does not make much sense either. The statement is being given the official stamp of approval and at the same time an attempt is being made to keep it as a document of limited importance.
India’s stance on the climate issue is much too tentative. India, like China, the US and many other countries does not want to do too much on the climate issue which will have an adverse impact on the economy. So, what India wants to negotiate or wants to do is tied to its compulsions on this front. Manmohan Singh is aware that climate has long term implications for growth. However, apart from declaration of pious intention, nothing has been done about it. The latest move is clever and smart but it does not help in coping with the core issue.
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