World needs to come together to honour 2015 Paris Agreement: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav

Glasgow: The world needs to join hands to honour the commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement and take immediate steps towards adaptation, making climate finance available for the developing world, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Friday.

Yadav, who is representing India at the 26th UN climate conference COP 26 at Glasgow, wrote in his blog that, the wealthy nations that reaped the benefits of early industrialisation by burning fossil fuels and growing their economies for centuries must accommodate the concerns and needs of the economies that need to make the switch to clean and green energy.

“As we move towards wrapping this very crucial climate summit, the world needs to come together to honour the commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement and take immediate steps towards adaptation and making climate finance available for the developing world to make the crucial transitions socially and economically to offset climate change,” he wrote in his blog ‘COP Diary'.

The minister said that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made it clear that it is ready to walk the extra mile in combating climate change but has also reminded the developed world that they have historically precipitated the current crisis and have progressed at the cost of the global environment.

“No nation, no matter how big or small, can save the planet alone. In a spirit of cooperation, India has asked the world to do its bit, leading by example in meeting all its environmental obligations globally and nationally,” he said.

The minister said that there is growing public demand for climate action and to align economic recovery with long-term sustainability and climate goals.

“Given the renewed interest in collective action, COP26 offers a unique opportunity to enhance ambitions and reiterate the global commitment to combat climate change,” he said, adding that the world must start acting together on the four issues- Temperature, Mitigation, Finance and Responsibility.

“It is time the world unites to honour the commitments made under the Paris Agreement, which set a goal to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.”

“Since the Climate Convention held in 1992, where no temperature target was set, to the Copenhagen Accord (Copenhagen, COP15, 2009), where a temperature target of 2 degree Celsius was adopted, to the Cancun Agreement, COP16, 2010, where the discussion on 1.5 degree Celsius as the long-term goal was introduced, to Durban Declaration, COP17, 2011, which set a temperature target of 1.5 degree Celsius as an option on equal status with 2 degree Celsius, the world has come a long way,” he said.

Article 2 of Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) says, “Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.”

During the Pre-COP26, Glasgow, 2021, negotiations, ‘Keeping 1.5 degree C alive’ became a slogan.

“To achieve this target, the developed world must share the required technology and finance with the developing world,” he said.

Talking about the issue of Mitigation, the environment minister said the developing countries are doing their bit by way of voluntary declaration through NAMAs (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions).

Demand for work programmes on Long-Term Cooperative Action (LCA), including commitments, were made from developing countries in Bali, COP13, 2007, he said.

Stressing that finance and technology transfer from developed to developing countries are fundamental, he said that there was no commitment to the critical finance and technology transfer mechanism for 17 years from the Convention in Rio to Copenhagen.

"At Copenhagen, COP15, 2009, the financial commitment was finally pinned down to mobilising USD 100 billion annually by 2020. The target date for mobilising USD 100 billion annually was postponed to 2025 at the Paris, COP21, 2021. “The world cannot wait any longer for this critical finance to save itself from climate change and accompanying environmental degradation,” Yadav said. 

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