COP31 (Image source: UNFCCC)
NEW DELHI: With mid-year climate meetings taking place in Bonn amid critical geopolitical situation due war in west Asia and its impact on the overall economy, India has raised its concerns over declining levels of climate finance, and called for strengthening multilateral cooperation at a time of growing global challenges.Making its intervention at the meet, India also asked the developed countries to take lead in accelerated emission reductions, arguing that the developing countries need adequate carbon space to eradicate poverty, expand energy access and meet their sustainable development goals.The meeting (June 8-18), formally called the 64th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies under the UNFCCC (SB64), will take a call on agenda for the annual UN climate conference (COP31) scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye (COP31) in November. The UN June climate meetings are held annually at the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) headquarters in Bonn, Germany to finalise agendra for the year-end climate conference (COP).“At a time of growing global challenges, our collective priority should be to strengthen multilateral cooperation through discharge of respective obligations under the climate treaties,” Harkeerat Singh Randhawa, second secretary at the Indian embassy in Germany, said during his opening plenary statement on Monday. Associating India with the stand taken by other developing countries including China and BASIC group, Randhawa emphasised that equity and historical responsibility (of developed countries) must continue to guide the participating countries at SB64.“Developing countries need adequate carbon space to eradicate poverty, expand energy access, and meet their sustainable development goals. Therefore, developed countries must lead through accelerated emissions reductions, including negative emissions as necessary,” he said.Randhawa also flagged India’s commitment to “climate multilateralism, and to “advance its effective implementation”, and underlined that the dialogue on unilateral trade measures should address its negative impacts on climate actions of developing countries.India has always been opposed to any kind of unilateral trade barrier in the context of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and other similar measures. The CBAM is a tool to put a price through imposing border tax on carbon intensive goods, like iron & steel, aluminium and cement, that are entering the 27 European Union nations. It will put a tariff burden on such products of developing countries, including India, and impact their trade.The Indian delegation at the Bonn meet comprises officers from various ministries and departments, including scientists from the environment ministry.A team comprising diplomats, ministry officers and climate experts are attending the meeting physically, while other delegates are attending the same virtually. “This arrangement has been put in place to ensure India’s effective participation in all negotiations,” said the ministry in response to a question on India’s participation.COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum, meanwhile, on Tuesday launched a new global electrification target as a flagship initiative of the COP31 Presidency’s action agenda, and proposed a collective global goal to increase the share of final energy demand met by electricity from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035.The COP31 Presidency also committed to building a global coalition to implement actions towards achieving this target.The target is based on analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and is designed to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and help keep the world on a pathway consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.In support of the electrification target, the COP31 Presidency, accordingly, in partnership with Australia, has commissioned the IEA to deliver special reports to map out pathways to achieving the “35×35” target and to analyse the benefits of halving waste growth and boosting circular waste management systems. This follows the COP31 Presidency’s existing work with IRENA to identify how electrification can accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
