India today took the lead in articulating concerns of the developing countries in finalising approach of the Commonwealth countries in dealing with climate change ahead of the crucial Paris conference.
India argued that any ambitious statement emanating from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here should be tempered with realism as the discussions in the run up to the COP 21 at Paris have been complex and difficult and should not be overloaded at this stage.
Indian officials argued that the Commonwealth must not pre-judge outcome of the negotiations leading to Paris climate conference and that commitment of the rich nations towards small islands and poor countries must go beyond the current level, sources said.
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Indian officials put forth India's views on the issue during hectic parleys here maintaining that developed countries must ensure financing and technology transfer to developing countries to help them reach their target of bringing down carbon emissions, they said.
The Commonwealth Summit, which began today, will come out with a statement on climate change, reflecting its position on the crucial issue ahead of the COP 21 beginning Monday.
India also maintained that implementation of INDCs must not be mitigation centric, arguing that all key pillars like adaptation and means of implementation were key factors in this regard. While agreeing to large part of the statement, India made reservations on some sections of it.
On INDC, India has been favouring increasing renewables and building resilience capacity in states, having more carbon sync, development of newer technologies and capacity building of vulnerable countries and Least Developed Countries.
(Reopens FGN 38)
US Secretary of State John Kerry in an interview with a leading international business daily had recently warned that India could be a "challenge" at upcoming climate change talks in Paris, with its government reluctant to accept more of a role in addressing global warming.
India hit out at Kerry for his remarks, saying they were "unwarranted" and made it clear that it is "not in the habit of taking any pressure from anybody".
Terming Kerry's comments as "unwarranted and unfair", India had also blamed the "attitude" of some of the developed countries for the problem of climate change.
The Paris Climate Conference, scheduled from November 30 to December 11, aims at achieving a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
Heads of States of around 140 countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will attend the event.
