Beijing (NVI): BASIC ministerial meeting on climate has acknowledged the achievement of pre-2020 voluntary target of 21 per cent reduction in emission intensity by India, even as the bloc of four countries gave a clarion call to developed world to fulfill commitment under the Paris agreement on climate change.
India has already achieved 21 per cent reduction in emission intensity of GDP in 2014 compared to 2005 levels, thereby achieving its pre-2020 voluntary target, a joint statement issue by BASIC countries comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China said at the end of the two-day Summit here on October 26.
In the Joint Statement, the BASIC countries urged the developed countries to take urgent action to close gaps and provide support to developing nations as a part of the commitment under the Paris agreement on climate change.
The statement said that global climate action should promote climate justice by recognising the fundamental equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.
At the Summit, the ministers of BASIC countries, including Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar from India, emphasized the “faithful and comprehensive implementation of the Paris Agreement, in particular of its goals and principles”.
The Summit underlined the importance of a full, effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol and its Paris Agreement, in accordance with the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), in the light of different national circumstances, as well as the nationally- determined nature of the Paris Agreement,” a press note from India’s ministry of environment said.
The BASIC ministers reaffirmed and emphasized the need for people’s participation and climate friendly lifestyles for addressing the challenge of climate change acknowledging that the Paris Agreement embodies and calls for sustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns.
The group highlighted the substantial gaps not only in mitigation, but also in adaptation and support provided by developed countries to developing countries in the pre-2020 period. They stressed that these gaps should not be transferred to the post-2020 period to present additional burdens on developing countries.
The ministers highlighted that developing countries, including BASIC countries, notwithstanding the multiple challenges including food security, poverty eradication, and insufficient and uneven progress of domestic development, have been implementing ambitious climate action based on their national circumstances in the context of sustainable development, and have achieved great progress with significant contribution to global efforts in combating climate change.
The meeting was chaired by LI Ganjie, Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China.
The BASIC ministers underscored that as developing countries are the most adversely affected by climate change, adaptation is the key imperative but is neglected with an imbalanced allocation of resources compared to mitigation.
They reiterated the need for balanced allocation in terms of support provided by developed countries, including through Green Climate Fund.
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