This refers to Sunita Narain’s column “The inconvenient truth of equity” (Down to earth, December 26). The developed countries appear determined not to take responsibility for historic emissions and want the emerging economies to take the burden of limiting emissions since it affects economic growth. But, as the author rightly says, climate change is truly about an interdependent world where the actions of one country affect the other. The less developed tropical countries are bound to be more adversely impacted by climate change due to erratic rainfall and long spells of drought and flood. They will find it quite difficult and costly to adapt to climate change.
We should know that we live in a world in which national interests prevail over the common global good. The economic turmoil that the West is facing today will reduce its global commitment further. It is not going to pay and has stopped believing in the principle of “polluter pays”, a phrase it coined. The developing countries’ expectations that they would get financial assistance if they offset emissions of rich countries may not be met if Durban is an indication of things to come. The euro zone is facing a debt crisis and the US economy is showing no signs of recovery with Japan in deep recession. Climate change mitigation has, thus, proved to be a luxury agenda not supported by the real world situation.
Irshad A Khan New Delhi
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