High level of global cooperation needed At Paris conference on climate change

A high level of cooperation and collaboration will be  necessary at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this December if the objective of keeping average global temperatures within the 2 degree limit considered manageable is to be met. -. Extraordinary cooperation will also be critical to ensure that what is agreed at Paris is subsequently achieved. Moreover, the whole will need to be more than the sum of its parts. In reducing carbon emissions (mitigation) or managing the consequences of climate change for those likely tobe affected (adaptation) challenges of technology, finance and knowledge sharing will have to be addressed by imagination and sagacity.

This was the broad consensus of a range of speakers from India and the EU at a discussion forum organised here today by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) along with the Delegation of the European Union to India on Towards Paris and Beyond: Means of Implementation and Cooperation.

The India-EU round-table event addressed three thematic areas.. The first session provided an overview on the INDCs, the allocation of the global carbon space and the implications for mitigation and adaptation. This was followed by a session on the means of implementation of India’s INDC and the expectations from the Paris Agreement. The concluding session looked ahead on the means of implementation beyond Paris, global technology partnerships, new and inventive funding and innovative capacities.

Key speakers included Mr Tomasz Kozlowski; Ambassador-Designate of the European Union to India, Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO CEEW; Dr Rajat Kathuria, Director &Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research in International Economic Relations (ICRIER);; Mr James Abraham, Co-Founder Solar Arise, Dr Purnamita Dasgupta of the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University; Mr Francois-Joseph Schichan, Counsellor, Embassy of France; Ms Aditi Kapoor, Director,Alternative Futures, Dr Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Research Fellow, CEEW; and Ms Henriette Faergemann, Counsellor, Energy and Environment, EU Delegation to India.

The EU Ambassador-designate said: “The Paris conference will be a historic opportunity to accelerate the shift to a low-carbon, climate-resilient global economy. The EU and its Member States are committed to doing their part and working with our partners to ensure that Paris is a success.We also need to recognise that the INDCs are much more than numbers – for many countries these are the first comprehensive plans and targets setting out the national vision for transitioning to low carbon climate resilient economies. And in this context I would really congratulate our Indian colleagues for bringing forwards the ambitious plans included in your INDC submission.”For the EU, he observed,”there are four key elements to a successful deal. These are: ambitious emissions reduction commitments; a shared destination of travel in the form of a long-term goal; a periodic review cycle to consider and strengthen emissions targets; and strong transparency and accountability rules to give stakeholders confidence that countries will deliver on their commitments.”

Speaking on the importance of technology partnerships for COP 21, Dr. Arunabha Ghoshsaid, “Effective technology partnerships are key to combating climate change. Technology transfer (and associated financing) has been a key demand throughout the two decades of climate negotiations. However, thanks to prohibitive costs, restrictive intellectual property rights, continued lack of capacity for domestic R&D or for cross-border joint ventures, and insufficient capital to underwrite risks, there has been persistent failure in facilitating the development and transfer of climate-friendly technologies. Energy access and energy storage are two multi-country technology partnerships which India could lead on.”

Dr. Vaibhav Chaturvedi said, “Adaptation in terms of time allocation and technology transfer needs to be a key agenda in COP 21.  This will also be an important area for global research in the future.”  He added that low income regions like Africa are key to post-2030 mitigation agenda.

Dr. Purnamita Dasgupta said, “Countries are taking targets for mitigation but these should be sliced over time. The time slice is also important for adaptation activities because risks under different time scales will vary a lot.  For example, heat mortality would mean very different things for adaptation in 2030 or in 2050 or in 2100.” 

Ms. Aditi Kapoor pointed to the need for bringing together the Climate change agenda and the post-2015 sustainable development goals (SDGs) with regard to the means of implementation being discussed both the fora. “Climate finance and green technologies would be necessary to achieve development goals because worsening climate impacts will hamper development especially for poorer countries,” she remarked.

Mr Francois-Joseph Schinchan of the Embassy of France said, “As incoming Chair of COP 21, impartiality and transparency are important for us.  We are having informal interactions and break-up meetings to understand all concerns. The Indian proposal for a global solar alliance is a very positive initiative and we support this. We are well aware that Paris cannot be a success without a financial package. ”

Dr. Rajat Kathuri as emphasised that, “We need to have a transparent base for the numbers on finance and we will need continuous monitoring to reconcile these numbers with the outcomes.” He was referring to the numbers on the table for the Green Climate Fund and the financial aid asked for in the INDCs.

Mr James Abraham emphasised the strong role that markets must play in climate solutions and said that climate change should not be left only to negotiators and policy makers and independent market-based solutions would need to be incorporated into the process.

Ms Henriette Faergemann said, “From our experience within the EU, setting out a long term vision and targets sends a strong signal to the business sector for investing in R&D, delivering new products and adapting to the challenge. India’s and other countries’ INDCs do send such signals, and if we can also ensure that Paris adds on additional incentives, we believe it can stimulate the market to respond favourably.”