India with the help of other developing countries thwarted an attempt by developed countries to focus on all top 20 current CO2 emitters for additional mitigation actions, instead of just the big historical polluters (rich nations), during the first week of the UN climate talks (COP27). The crucial second week of negotiation involving ministers began on Monday.
The developed world, during the meeting on the mitigation work programme (MWP) last week, sought to bring on board all top 20 emitters, including India and China, to discuss intense emission cuts. The MWP is focused on collectively slashing emissions by nearly half by 2030 from 2010 levels,which is considered necessary if the climate goal of keeping warming within 1. 5 degree Celsius by the end of the century is to be met. The developing countries, however, pushed back against the introduction of these terms in the MWP. India is learnt to have objected to the focus on all top 20 emitters. India had the backing of Brazil and the like-minded developing countries (LMDC) grouping.
The move assumes significance as there are a number of developing countries among the current top 20 emitters with no historical obligations to reduce their emissions. Including all top 20 for intensive mitigation action means putting India, Indonesia, Iran and other developing countries on a par with big historical emitters such as the USA, the EU nations, Russia, Japan, UK and others whose cumulative emissions are much higher than India.
In the list of top 20 current emitters, India figures at the fourth position in terms of fossil CO2 emissions in 2021. China was the top current emitter with 11.5 billion tonnes of CO2 emission last year followed by the US (5 billion tonnes), EU 27 (2.8 billion tonnes) and India (2.7 billion tonnes).
Though the developed countries may again try to bring the focus of mitigation on all top emitters while discussing the text of the COP27, it is clear that India would continue to oppose it, reminding the world that its contribution to the historical stock that is causing global warming is just about 4% while it has 17% of the world’s population. India’s per capita emission is merely a third of the global average.
