From Mythili Sampathkumar
Lima, Dec 9 (PTI) The EU today said the intended nationally determined contributions of all nations on climate should be exclusively devoted to mitigation, a stand opposed by India which want more adaptation elements to be included in the INDCs.
Miguel Arias Canete, the EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, said the European Union and other developed countries must take into account the concerns of developing countries that want more adaptation, finance and technology sharing elements, but that it should be in a mechanism or process outside of the INDCs.
“Countries’ intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) should be exclusively devoted to mitigation,” he said, as negotiators at a climate summit here tried to reach a historic deal to be signed next year in Paris.
Canete said the EU must “redouble efforts” to understand the positions of other countries because the negotiations process is about “active listening”.
India has been insisting on the need for a balanced inclusion of adaptation efforts in the 2015 Paris agreement and less focus on mitigation.
Canete said the concept of folding in INDCs into the Paris agreement would take care of differentiation because it allows each country to tailor action plans as they see fit, giving them a freedom that the 1992 standards may not.
“The EU is keen on maintaining a review process of these INDCs as well. There is no way to know if countries are being ambitious enough without a review process in place,” he said.
The EU and some countries want an assessment of each country’s INDC to see whether these are in line with the global 2 degree target.
“Mitigation is more clear cut and quantifiable, making it easier to compare INDCs, whereas adaptation is not so easily measured. Comparing the contributions would allow insight into whether an INDC is ambitious or comprehensive enough to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius,” he said.
India and the US strongly resent any such provision, saying such an exercise will negate the nationally-determined’ nature of the ‘contributions’.
The US said there is a “steady drumbeat” of domestic actions in the US addressing climate change under the Obama administration but that certain forms of a review process of it and other countries’ INDCs will not be supported during the Lima talks.
US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern said today that that any INDCs to come out of the Lima talks should be written as clearly as possible for other countries to understand.
However, the US does not support a review process, though have put forth their own proposal, a “consultative period.”
Stern also said the US proposal of this “sunshine” period, when the INDCs will be truly transparent, is adequate enough and a formal review process is not necessary.
The US also calls for contributions from countries to be submitted without conditions, saying “we want to see everyone put forward what they can do on their own resources.” PTI Corr
