India happy with the Paris climate change draft deal, says Javadekar
“At the first glance, we are happy with the draft presented,” environment minister Prakash Javadekar said. “There is differentiation between developed and developing countries in all elements of the agreement,” he said.
As French president Francois Hollande called Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after the Paris agreement was presented, India welcomed it, saying most of its concerns were addressed and the deal was on the “right direction” to safeguard the interests of seven billion people.
“At the first glance, we are happy with the draft presented,” environment minister Prakash Javadekar said. “There is differentiation between developed and developing countries in all elements of the agreement,” he said.
The minister also said the agreement is linked with the UN climate convention as sought by India, and also mentions key words of PM Modi’s climate justice and sustainable lifestyle.
But they have been stated in the preamble of the Paris agreement with relation to importance of “ensuring integrity of all ecosystems” and “biodiversity”. As the terms are not mentioned in different articles, operationalising them may not happen.
But Javadekar said that Modi received recognition from French President Francois Hollande in his speech on Saturday for the global solar alliance. Afterward, Hollande called Modi and apprised him of the broad contours of the Paris agreement. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, saying Modi appreciated the gesture.
The agreement was a mixed bag for India, said Harjeet Singh of Actionaid International, adding there was a differentiation but climate finance for the developing world was weak.
Vulnerable nations like India have also lost the battle on ensuring proper compensation mechanism for loss from extreme weather events, he said.
Sanjay Vashist, director, Climate Action Network South Asia said, “The onus was now on the developed countries to fulfill their promises and scale up climate finance flows to support mitigation and adaptation efforts, especially for most vulnerable countries.”
Javadekar termed the Paris agreement as “victory of persistent efforts” of India and its constructive role despite being branded as obstructionist at beginning of the conference.