Conference of the Parties 21: Why it is so important for India

Global efforts to clinch an agreement to contain climate change are gathering pace ahead of the critical conference scheduled to be held in Paris later this year. Here is a look at the event and why it is so important for India, as much as the rest of the world.
What is COP 21? Why is it important?
COP 21 refers to the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The session will be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11. It will aim to achieve a legally binding global agreement to contain climate change, with the target to keep global warming below 2°C by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The proposed agreement will come into effect from 2020. The Kyoto Protocol, which came into effect in 2005, set emission cut targets for developed nations, but COP 21 negotiations are about getting all countries to commit to emission cuts. While efforts were made at the COP 15 in 2009 at Copenhagen to arrive at an agreement, consensus could not be reached then.

What will make a successful COP 21?

The session will be considered successful if a pragmatic and durable climate agreement is reached, with a clear structure for climate funding and time frame for different countries to cut emissions. The focus, amid hectic negotiations, is also on ensuring that the draft agreement text does not exceed 20-30 pages.

What is in it for India?

A rapidly growing India is seen as a key player in climate change talks and it is taking an increasingly visible leadership role on the issue under the Narendra Modi govt. India is among the nations that have talked repeatedly about the nature and structure of climate funding as well as the need for the developed nations to enhance action on their own for the pre-2020 period. This is because the emission cut targets under the Kyoto Protocol are in effect only until 2015 and the obligations under an agreement in Paris, if reached, will kick in only after 2020.

The developing nations have been asking for the need to take enhanced measures in the intervening period as well. The Modi government has taken a strong position on climate change, emphasising its commitment to the cause. It has pointed out that developed nations cannot escape responsibility towards greater action to check climate change. India will submit INDCs (intended nationally determined contributions), or target actions, for COP 21.

Why is climate funding a key element?

The Paris agreement is expected to focus sharply on the need to introduce a firm architecture for mobilisation of climate funding, an issue raised by developing countries such as India that has not been addressed so far but is likely to be key to clinching a global treaty at COP 21.

Developed countries have agreed to mobilise $100 billion every year from 2020, but there is little progress or clarity on where this money will come from and whether it will be fully public funded or have private component as well.

Why is the length of the agreement important?

It is believed that for a workable agreement to be found at COP 21, the text should ideally not exceed 20 pages going into the December conference.

The current draft text runs into almost 100 pages and not much progress could be made towards trimming it down even at the climate talks in Bonn earlier this month. Efforts are on to compress the draft and a shorter version is expected by next month end.

What could be a weak COP 21 agreement?

An agreement endorsing country-specific INDCs but glossing over the issue of climate funding and postponing the issue of an increase in emission cut targets will be seen as a weak deal. There is extreme weariness of any kind of repeat of the Copenhagen disaster and there is a view to allow space for a middle ground on issues such as review of INDCs.

While India favours an INDC review no earlier than 10 years, some other countries led by the European Union prefer the review to happen every five years.

How is paris preparing for COP 21?

Aiming at forging what is tentatively being called a Paris Alliance for Climate Change, France is laying the groundwork for its biggest international conference. It is mindful of the need to set expectations right on what can be delivered at the December meet. Paris will host over 40,000 delegates, negotiators from 196 countries, an army of activists and civil society members at the talks which will be held at the Le Bourget.

A slew of agencies are at work to ensure the logistics of the mega conference that is estimated to cost about 170 million euros (about Rs 1,200 crore). The carbon footprint of hosting such a mega conference will be compensated at the site itself. Security is a major concern for the Paris meet as there is a possibility of protests over France’s own dependence on nuclear power plants.