China, India Sign Climate Change Cooperation Accord

If China and India get to speak the same language a whole (rather than quarreling over trivial boarder issues...) with the richer nations, agreements that favors developing countries might come easier!!
As I had just discussed this with my IR professor and wanted to share it with folks from IYCN, I came across the following piece of news.


China, India Sign Climate Change Cooperation Accord (Update1)

By Gaurav Singh and John Duce

Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- India signed an agreement with China, the world’s biggest polluter, to increase cooperation on tackling climate change after the countries rejected calls from rich nations to set binding caps on carbon emissions.

The memorandum of understanding was signed today in New Delhi by India’s environment minister Jairam Ramesh and Xie Zhenhua, vice minister at China’s National Development and Reform Commission. The agreement comes ahead of a United Nations climate-change summit in Copenhagen in December.

The world’s fastest-growing major economies called on rich nations to slash carbon dioxide output while refusing to accept binding reduction targets that they say will hurt development. Chinese President Hu Jintao said last month his country will cut emissions in proportion to economic growth, without outlining specific goals.

“The two countries have in recent weeks said what they’re doing to tackle climate change and the aim of the talks is partly to help consolidate their negotiating position ahead of Copenhagen,” said Yang Ailun, a spokeswoman at the environmental pressure group Greenpeace in Beijing. “There’s no way developing countries will accept caps.”

More than 190 nations are set to gather in Copenhagen starting Dec. 7 for the final round of talks on a climate accord to replace the Kyoto Protocol, expiring in 2012. China and India say wealthy countries including the U.S. should lower emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and share technology with poorer nations to help them fight climate change.

Copenhagen Contribution

“India and China are most vulnerable to climate change,” Xie said today. “Both countries are in the process of rapid industrialization and urbanization. I am confident China and India will make a positive contribution to Copenhagen.”

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto protocol are the most appropriate framework for addressing climate change, according to the copy of the agreement given to reporters in New Delhi.

“Both India and China are collaborating to ensure a fair and equitable outcome at Copenhagen,” Ramesh said. “There is virtually no difference in Indian and Chinese negotiating positions.”

China and India will cooperate on energy conservation and efficiency, renewable energy and forest management, according to the accord, which is valid for five years. It calls on rich nations to provide funds and transfer technology to help developing countries.

South Asian Treaty

India will consider outside measurement and verification of its efforts to tackle climate change if they were supported by international finance and the transfer of technology from developed nations, Ramesh said in a statement yesterday.

India and neighboring countries plan to make a joint statement at Copenhagen on their actions to combat climate change and may sign a regional environment treaty next year, Ramesh said in a separate speech at a meeting of officials from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

“A regional environment treaty will be finalized, to be signed at the next Saarc summit at Thimpu in April 2010,” he said in New Delhi yesterday. Thimpu is the capital of Bhutan.

The South Asian grouping, called Saarc, includes India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. China is not a member.

Do More

China’s Xie will hold talks with Ramesh to discuss prospects for the Copenhagen summit, according to the government statement.

“India and China’s emphasis now is putting more pressure on countries like the U.S. to promise to do more in terms of emission cuts and technology transfer,” Yang said.

Ramesh suggested earlier this month that only a limited agreement would emerge in Copenhagen and that the conference should focus on rich countries financing and aiding poor nations affected by climate change.

Trust between rich and developing nations had “broken down” at recent UN negotiations in Bangkok, he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Gaurav Singh in New Delhi at gsingh31@bloomberg.net; John Duce in Hong Kong at Jduce1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 21, 2009 02:16 EDT