India not ready to accept legally binding pact at Cancun

As the Cancun conference winds down, India is under immense pressure to accept “legally binding agreement” on climate change, which is causing rift in developing countries.United States, China and India are not in favour of accepting a legally binding agreement, which is supported by other developed countries, and nations within the G77 including African nations and Least Developed Countries.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said “There is a forced move by a group of developed countries using developing countries to put pressure on India and China to accept a legally binding agreement,”.Countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal are also supporting a legally binding agreement.Brazil and South Africa are also in favour of a legally binding agreement, which is causing divisions in the BASIC group.

He also said “This pressure is coming from developed countries through AOSIS, BASIC and LDCs,” adding on “India and China are united and Brazil and South Africa are united.” Mr. Ramesh told delegates that “all countries must take on binding commitments under appropriate legal form.”

India argues that consensual decisions taken under annual climate conferences can be considered binding.

Later, the minister indicated that he raised this point to assure countries close to India like Nepal and Bangladesh that New Delhi was committed to fulfilling its domestic commitments.

It has also said currently it is important to concentrate on the Kyoto Protocol, which is the only legally binding treaty on climate change, but its future is uncertain, since many countries want to abandon it. Other countries argue that binding needs to be more formal maybe on the lines of the Kyoto Protocol.

Mr. Jairam Ramesh indicated that India would not agree to any legally binding agreement until three things are clear , the content of legally binding, the penalty of non-compliance and the system of monitoring. “We are not ready to commit to a legally binding treaty,”. Mr. Ramesh also stressed that this episode busted the “mythology” that G-77 spoke as one voice.“We are under attack inside G 77,” he said. “India has to approach this issue very cautiously.”

Bolivia also objects to a legally binding treaty, and is concerned that this new pursuit will take attention away from the Kyoto Protocol, which puts the legal responsibility to cut emissions squarely on the shoulders of developed countries.