The G20 summit recently held in Rome, Italy is being criticized for making only a few commitments to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, leaving the task for COP26. Merely a final statement at Rome‘ s meaningful and effective action to limit global warming angering climate lovers. Although the G20 summit pledged to curtail fossil fuel such as coal power financing overseas. Now the world is eying COP26 summit started in Glasgow on 31st October will be concluded on 11th November 2021.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. The countries vulnerable to climate change have generally been responsible for a smaller share of global emissions. The vulnerability of these countries has been due to many factors that can limit the ability of these countries to respond to the impact of global warming. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) research, climate change deepens existing inequality, affects women and girls disproportionately. Along with environmental damages, it also indirectly impinges upon loss of life and undernutrition brought on by crop failures and many more adverse effects on society.
Climate change is controversial because it affects the poor and developing nations most, though it is an outcome of the industrial revolution in developed countries. The industrial revolution started in western countries, and the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases, has significantly added to the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Later, China joined the group of most polluters. China, the USA, and the EU together contribute to more than 60 % of emissions. India’s carbon emission contribution is close to 6.8 % as against the population of 17 %.
Climate change emerged as an issue in the mid-1970s, and the first climate conference was held in 1979 which framed climate change as a global political issue. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) jointly established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. Later, various conferences were held in 1992 in Rio de Janerio, 1997 in Kyoto, 2009 in Copenhagen, and COP21 in Paris in 2015. In COP21, the Paris Agreement was signed to address greenhouse gas emission mitigation, finance, and adaptation. Under this agreement, 187 nations, agreed to keep global warming well below 2 °C, as well as efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C through shared mitigation efforts.
The history of climate change has not been so smooth as it looks. In 2012, the Australian Coalition ran a campaign to repeal the carbon tax, and upon election victory, Prime Minister Tony Abbott passed a repeal bill for the same. In 2001, President George W. Bush cited economic reasons for the withdrawal of the Kyoto Protocol. However, the Obama administration created the Climate Action plan, which aimed to cut 32% carbon emissions from electric power plants. In 2017, President Donald Trump announced to pull out from Paris Agreement. In 2021, USA regulatory authorities allowed trading of bitcoin ETF, being fully acquainted with that bitcoin mining is a power-intensive process. There is growing tension between left-wing climate advocacy and right-wing interest in migration as primary political agendas in Europe, etc.
One of the guiding principles related to climate change Paris Agreement is ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR). The CBDR establishes that all nations are responsible for addressing climate change, but developed countries are expected to take lead due to differences in contributions for climate finance and capabilities to address it. The principle of differentiation lies somewhere between the ‘polluter-pays principle and the ‘ability-to-pay principle. The sole reason for consensus is that the COP21 was a shift of obligation to fight climate change from developed nations to the whole world community.
The second guiding principle which diluted the responsibility of developed nations is that the Paris Agreement allows for ‘Nationally Determined Contributors’ (NDCs), submitted at a regular interval of five years. The operating part also says that ‘countries in a position to do so’, makes it further vague and unenforceable. In 2009, rich nations promised to pay $100 bn a year by 2020 for climate financing to poor countries, which is not being honoured by these countries yet. Resulting from the above, it would be possible that the poor countries get nudged to provide cash towards climate finance. Thus, in long run, placing the financial burden on poor countries through various means would a kind of to allow evasion of rich countries’ historic responsibility and, simultaneously, jeopardise the development of poor countries.
India is the only major economy that has delivered on the Paris agreement. India’s railway system to become ‘net-zero’ by 2030, Prime Minister of India said at COP26. PM of India also said “India expects developed nations to make climate finance of one trillion dollars available at the earliest. Today it’s important to track climate finance just like we track the progress of climate mitigation.” He added that the promises made regarding climate finance had proven hollowed till now.
India’s stand has been clear and committed so far. India endorses the carbon neutrality target date of 2050, but exercise the right of being a developing country that does not bind her to it individually. She reinforces its stand and assumes responsibility to check the devastating impact of climate change so long as it does not undermine the principle of equity and CBDR of developed and developing countries. India emphasises that a national 2050 carbon neutrality target would mean jeopardizing its energy self-sufficiency and Atmanirbhar-Bharat policy targets and developing a huge dependency on imports too. It is also here that India needs enough time and adequate finance to develop clean energy technologies for future growth.
Nevertheless, taking a closer look, India is on track to achieve her declared NDCs. First, India has reduced carbon emission intensity by 21 % of its target to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 33-34 % by 2030. Second, India had a target of 40 % of installed non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030. She has already achieved 38 % of non-fossil fuel capacity including large hydro, renewable, and nuclear.
Prime Minister of India, Mr. Modi, during his address in Glasgow summit on 01st November 2021 set out five-point agenda: one, India’s non-fossil fuel capacity to reach 500 GW by 2030. Two, India will meet 50 % of its energy requirements -upgrades from 40 % – with non-fossil fuel, by 2030. Three, India will reduce its carbon emissions by 1 million from now to 2030. Four, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy to less than 45 %, by 2030. And finally, India will achieve the carbon neutrality target by 2070. These actions demonstrate that India believes in policy action rather than any politics, but keeps its rights, interests, and equity principles intact.
India’s stance always has been that she did not cause climate change, along with that her per capita emissions are much lower as compared to many other countries. She looks to developed countries to contribute a larger share to mitigate carbon emissions as an obligation. However, the issue is that this problem is framed as a free-rider problem, in which all countries benefit from mitigation done by other countries, but the individual country would lose adopting mitigation policies. On the other side, researchers understand it as a ‘global commons’ problem as well, where emission by any country contributes to the problem and can affect all other countries. These characteristics motivate many nations to pass the buck on others and get themselves engaged in politics.
After the Paris Agreement, which endorses climate change as a common concern, and assigns differentiated responsibilities to the developed and developing countries. Despite that developed nations contest the ‘differentiated responsibilities’ part of the agreement. They emphasise that the binary split between developed and developing countries is no longer a credible way to solve this problem. In a way, they want to shift their responsibilities of polluterstoother countries including those who are very poor and living on subsistence economies. Despite this, this has led to voluntary disclosure of targets for zero-emission termed as NDRs.
The developed countries need to recognise that climate change is far from we’re in the same boat situation. Also that it may be a common concern but different countries bear different risks, capabilities, and vulnerabilities to fight and adapt to the situation and contribute tothe common cause.
The Paris Agreement manifests a high level of political mobilization and support on part of businesses and civil societies. But we need to be careful that we need only a small number of nations who can spoil the show. CBDR principle and NCDs have made it a shared problem with ‘dynamic differentiations’. We all are quite hopeful, the COP26 – a make or break – summit in Glasgow will reinforce commitment level and imbue trust with each other amongst participant countries. India has shown greater grit and commitment. Developed nations also should not shy away from their bit declaring and complying with ambitious NCDs along with fulfilling the need of climate finance promptly. It’s high time to take a step away from politics and to move towards policy with commitment.