The 21 session of the Conference of Parties (COP) and also the 11th session of the Conference of Member Parties (CMP) serving as the meeting of the parties to the Kyoto protocol is being held from November 30 to December 11, 2015.
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Paris: The brief meeting here between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan was “more of an ice-breaker than anything else”, a Pakistani official said in remarks published on Tuesday.
“This partnership will combine the responsibility of government with the innovative capacity of the private sector”, Modi said.
“The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be the bedrock of our collective enterprise”.
India has contended that the developed countries have a historical responsibility, since the burden of pollution over 200 years have come from there.
Among his other engagements, the prime minister opened the India pavilion at the convention to showcase the country’s commitment towards renewable energy and climate change while also seeking to demonstrate that the world also needs to look beyond to focus on climate justice. He also set some pretty ambitious targets for India, chief of which is reducing emissions in India by up to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels.
While signatory nations mostly hail from the tropics, several European countries are also on board with the initiative, including France.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who moved from one event to another throughout the day, spoke to the conference much later in the evening, and delivered a very strong enunciation of India’s position on climate change.
Yet, we face its consequences today, and that is why the outcome in Paris is so important and we are here today.
Modi wanted the developed countries to fork out US$100 billion annually by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation in the developing countries.
As negotiators from over 190 countries sit down over the next few days to hammer out an agreement, Modi said developed nations, which have a larger carbon footprint, should take the lead in addressing the climate change issues. He, however, drew a sharp line between the choices before rich nations and those confronting by poorer countries: “While some face a choice between lifestyles and technologies, others stand between deprivation and hope”, he said.
Yet, many are also without any source of power.
India launched an International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the CoP21 Climate Conference here on Monday, with an announcement by Prime Minister Modi that the revolution in the field would bring power to all citizens, and create unlimited economic opportunity.
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Although the choices were not easy, Modi pointed out that there was awareness and technology, and what they now needed was national will and a genuine global partnership.
