Take lead in cutting emissions: BASIC to developed nations

India along with other BASIC nations today expressed "disappointment" at the "low" level of support provided by the developed countries to the developing nations in fighting climate change and asserted that it was imperative that they must make "visible" lead in cutting emissions.
The BASIC countries which comprise of China India, Brazil and South Africa also made it clear that the agreement that will be reached in Paris must fully respect the principles of United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) particularly the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) and there should be "no question" of diluting them.

The grouping of four large newly industrialised countries also said they are engaging with nations in a constructive and cooperative spirit and have shown "flexibility" on issues and hoped that an agreement can be reached by Friday.
They also said that they remain committed to reach a "comprehensive, balanced, ambitious and legally binding" agreement on climate change while reaffirming their commitment to the unity of G77 and China.
"Paris agreement that we are negotiating has to be under convention (UNFCCC). It is for enhancement and implementation of it. This is fundamental. The new agreement should fully respect convention principles in particular CBDR. There is no question of diluting these principles which continue to remain valid," India Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

"We remain disappointed with the low level of climate ambition and support provided by developed countries," he said in a joint media briefing where environment ministers of the other three countries were present.

"It is imperative that developed countries which have the historical responsibility and also larger capabilities must take visible lead in cutting emissions and providing financial and technology support to the developing world.
"But unfortunately it has not come the way it should have," he said as the high-level ministerial segment entered the second day.
The Minister said that the new agreement should also make these principles effectively operational in its various elements.

He noted that to reach an agreement in Paris, whether it will take 80 hours or 100 depends on the collective wisdom of nations and the time had come to summon political will of countries to reach an accord.
"INDCs and the new agreement cannot be limited to
mitigation alone. There must be equal emphasis on adaptation and support which are critical.
"India is in favour of robust mechanism for transparency. However this mechanism should continue to differentiate between developed and developing countries as per existing system which is based on objective guidelines of UNFCCC.
"The guidelines can be improved upon. The current process that has been put in place are yet to be implemented. We must first implement them and take next step for any possible adjustments," he said.

The countries also urged developed countries to progressively and substantially scale up their support in the post-2020 period with USD 100 billion per year as a starting year in order to fulfil "their obligation" under the convention.
"The BASIC countries urged the developed nations to take the lead by committing and implementing ambitious, economy wide, absolute quantified emission reduction targets and providing enhanced financial resources, technology development and transfer and capacity building support to developing countries under the agreement," they said, adding that developing nations will enhance their mitigation and adaptation actions.
The BASIC countries said in accordance to the Durban Mandate, the Paris agreement is being formulated under the UNFCCC and it must be in full accordance with its principles and provisions particularly on the provision of CBDR and equity while terming it as the "heart" of the accord.

"The BASIC countries are working for a Paris agreement that addresses in a balanced manner all elements identified at the Durban mandate.
"At this stage, parties should focus on resolving the remaining areas of divergence in order to adopt a clear, concise and coherent legal text acceptable to all parties in a timely manner," they said in a joint statement.
He BASIC countries said that the "ambition and effectiveness" of the agreement will be underpinned by operationalising differentiation between developed and developing nations in each element of the agreement noting that it might be applied differently to each element in accordance of the convention.

They said that the Paris accord should provide for
nations to regularly "prepare, communicate and implement" their enhanced commitments and actions as per the convention.
The countries maintained that they supported its establishment, global stock of the overall implementation of Paris agreement and progress towards achieving the objective of the convention but it should cover mitigation and adaptation as well.
"The stock take should cover mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation in a comprehensive manner," they said.
The BASIC countries also highlighted the need for enhanced actions by the developed countries before 2020 including ratification of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol on the 2nd commitment period to build trust among nations.

(Reopens FGN 39)
Environment Minister of South Africa Edna Bomo Molewa said the BASIC countries hoped that the agreement can be reached by Friday.
However it should be as per the Durban Mandate. The Paris agreement should be formulated under the convention and must be in full accordance to its principles of CBDR and equity and respective capabilities, she said.
"There should be no effort to re-write the convention," she said.
Chinese special representative to climate change Xie Zhenhua said the BASIC countries will work together and play a constructive role in the conference.
Appreciating the role of the French Presidency, he said the BASIC countries will look forward to continued leadership.