 "Modi adds soft touch to hard talk at Paris climate meet")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a two-pronged approach to climate change diplomacy on Monday. Writing an editorial for the Financial Times he demanded that the rich world vacate the carbon space for developing countries to grow in future. At the same time he sought to play India as a leader in the global arena, stitching a Global Solar Alliance, with other countries such as the US and France coming on board.
"The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be the bedrock of our collective enterprise. Anything else would be morally wrong," he wrote, pitching the Indian red-line in the face of developed countries, which want the principle done away with in the Paris agreement.
At the same time, he tried to display India's leap to reduce emissions through joint development of technologies. He wrote, "On Monday, French President Francois Hollande and I will launch an international solar alliance with 121 solar-rich countries in the tropics, aiming to bring affordable solar power to villages that are off grid." He added, "We are sharing our modest resources with the developing world, helping small island states and African nations with renewable energy. We expect the same from the world with respect to responding to climate change."
Modi's strong pitch for equity and justice in the Paris agreement made it clear that India would be willing to stand till the last with other developing countries in asking for its development space. "Justice demands that, with what little carbon we can still safely burn, developing countries are allowed to grow. The lifestyles of a few must not crowd out opportunities for the man still on the first steps of the development ladder," he said.
The twin-track approach of stiffly defending the red-lines while taking proactive measures has been a strategy honed over past few months by the Indian government. India is also expected to join a research and development initiative by US President Barack Obama called Mission Innovasion. While the details of these collaborative processes remain sketchy, these moves are expected to set a positive tone for negotiations that start on Monday evening in Paris.
While some leaders like the French president have used the phrase climate justice in his speech, the negotiations themselves have to achieve wide gaps that are littered across the draft Paris agreement.
"Some say advanced countries powered their way to prosperity on fossil fuel when humanity was unaware of its impact. Since science has moved on and alternative energy sources are available, they argue that those just beginning their development journey bear no less responsibility than those who have reached the zenith of their progress. New awareness, however, should lead advanced countries to assume more responsibility. Just because technology exists does not mean it is affordable and accessible," Modi said in line with India's demand that rich countries provide funds to reduce costs of new clean technologies.
Taking the attack home to the developed world he added, "The best political and technical measures will be ineffective, and our collective efforts inequitable, unless we review a lifestyle that overburdens our planet. Our targets must seek to drive restraint in use of fossil fuel and moderation in our lifestyles." This was a direct reference to the statistics India has often mentioned while noting that the per capita energy and coal consumption of the developed world remains far higher than India's even as the former tries to restrain coal consumption in developing countries.
"The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be the bedrock of our collective enterprise. Anything else would be morally wrong," he wrote, pitching the Indian red-line in the face of developed countries, which want the principle done away with in the Paris agreement.
Read more from our special coverage on "CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS"
At the same time, he tried to display India's leap to reduce emissions through joint development of technologies. He wrote, "On Monday, French President Francois Hollande and I will launch an international solar alliance with 121 solar-rich countries in the tropics, aiming to bring affordable solar power to villages that are off grid." He added, "We are sharing our modest resources with the developing world, helping small island states and African nations with renewable energy. We expect the same from the world with respect to responding to climate change."
Modi's strong pitch for equity and justice in the Paris agreement made it clear that India would be willing to stand till the last with other developing countries in asking for its development space. "Justice demands that, with what little carbon we can still safely burn, developing countries are allowed to grow. The lifestyles of a few must not crowd out opportunities for the man still on the first steps of the development ladder," he said.
The twin-track approach of stiffly defending the red-lines while taking proactive measures has been a strategy honed over past few months by the Indian government. India is also expected to join a research and development initiative by US President Barack Obama called Mission Innovasion. While the details of these collaborative processes remain sketchy, these moves are expected to set a positive tone for negotiations that start on Monday evening in Paris.
While some leaders like the French president have used the phrase climate justice in his speech, the negotiations themselves have to achieve wide gaps that are littered across the draft Paris agreement.
"Some say advanced countries powered their way to prosperity on fossil fuel when humanity was unaware of its impact. Since science has moved on and alternative energy sources are available, they argue that those just beginning their development journey bear no less responsibility than those who have reached the zenith of their progress. New awareness, however, should lead advanced countries to assume more responsibility. Just because technology exists does not mean it is affordable and accessible," Modi said in line with India's demand that rich countries provide funds to reduce costs of new clean technologies.
Taking the attack home to the developed world he added, "The best political and technical measures will be ineffective, and our collective efforts inequitable, unless we review a lifestyle that overburdens our planet. Our targets must seek to drive restraint in use of fossil fuel and moderation in our lifestyles." This was a direct reference to the statistics India has often mentioned while noting that the per capita energy and coal consumption of the developed world remains far higher than India's even as the former tries to restrain coal consumption in developing countries.