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Consternation over pre-Copenhagen statement of Jairam Ramesh by R Ramachandran


Two elements in statement caused most concern; "It has deviated from the text approved by PMO"

The statement issued by Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh at the pre-Conference of the Parties (COP) ministerial meeting of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held at Copenhagen during November 16-17 has caused considerable consternation among some observers of the evolving Indian policy on climate change. The crucial COP-15 is scheduled to take place at Copenhagen during December 7-18.

There is also growing apprehension that the statement, which was not shared with the Indian climate change negotiating team, could end up forming the basis of some joint declaration by U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the latter’s visit to Washington, which could undermine the country’s long-term economic growth and developmental goals.

Two elements in the four-para statement of Mr. Ramesh have caused most concern. One is the submission of “unsupported domestic actions, and their outcomes as well as impacts on emissions … as a basis for international consultations.” This acceptance of ‘International consultations’ for domestically financed actions could open the country to negotiating our domestic plans with the international community, pointed out a member of the negotiating team, who did not wish to be named. “It would certainly constitute a new legally binding commitment unforeseen in UNFCCC,” the member added.

The other is “taking on commitments to reduce energy to GDP intensity and corresponding emission reduction outcomes for the year 2020.” Experts argue that energy intensity targets should apply to individual sectors, not the economy as a whole. This is because shifts in the composition of GDP — for example, a shift from services to the energy-intensive manufacturing sector — can affect the GDP-emissions ratio.

“While the [Minister’s] statement does not go as far as the earlier controversial letter of the Minister to the Prime Minister, it is still very much along the same lines although it refrains from endorsing the single instrument proposal of Australia, which the letter did,” remarked Sunita Narain, the director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the well-known Delhi-based NGO. “Moreover, since this was made at the pre-COP meeting, it is like an official position,” she added.

According to informed sources, however, the Minister’s statement had actually deviated from the text approved by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The crucial thing,” she said, “is what the Singh-Obama declaration and the MoU are going to look like. If these reflect the sense of the statement, then we would very much get isolated in the developing world. Despite all the hype about the U.S.-China agreement before Mr. Obama’s visit, China has not yielded on anything finally,” she pointed out. A growing feeling among the developing countries that India could no longer be trusted was apparently very much evident at the recently concluded meeting of the UNFCCC at Barcelona. “India is now being seen as a deal breaker with G-77 and China while Africa as a group has found a strong supporter in China,” pointed out a member of a delegation to Barcelona.

Sources also pointed out that while there is an agreed text of the Indo-U.S. MoU on climate change to be signed during Dr. Singh’s visit, a text for the Singh-Obama declaration was apparently worked out during the Copenhagen Ministerial conference without the knowledge of the negotiating team. This text, sources say, reflects pretty much the U.S. current position on climate change.

The U.S. position, as is known, is rejection of the Kyoto process and the Bali Action Plan and evolving a single agreement for all the Parties instead. This was articulated in the Australian proposal at the Bangkok UNFCCC meeting, which the Minister too had endorsed in his earlier letter.

“It should not be a replay of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal with a bilateral agreement that reflects an altered Indian position on climate change that has no sanction of the Parliament or the Cabinet,” pointed out another observer.