The Copenhagen Accord was a dilution of the Kyoto Protocol as the former had no major reference to principles of equity and environmental justice, Jawaharlal Nehru University, School of International Studies faculty member Professor Meeta Mehra said here on Monday.
She was speaking at an interdisciplinary conference on climate change organised at JNU. The various pros and cons of the Copenhagen Accord which was hammered out at the recently concluded climate change conference in Copenhagen were also discussed at the conference which included academicians across disciplines from various JNU schools .
No mechanism had been mentioned which could account for emissions in emerging economies for exports to developed countries and no specific targets for emissions cuts had been stated either, Prof. Mehra added.
Also highlighting the flaws of the agreement and the process through which the Accord was arrived at, JNU Chair in International Environmental Law Dr. Bharat H. Desai said the Accord had omitted to take into account the historical responsibility of industrialised countries. While developed countries ‘should take the lead’ in reducing emissions, developing countries should not be irresponsible either, he added.
Developing countries were in need for funding for environmental friendly technologies. Also green house gas emissions for developing countries were a matter of necessity and survival and not a luxury, Dr. Desai said.
Pointing out to the politics of climate change and the efforts by certain countries to shirk their environmental responsibility, Dr. Desai said the developing countries which were under a broad umbrella were being attempted to split up by some developed countries.
Outlining the action plan that India should adopt to combat climate change, School of Environmental Sciences faculty member Prof V.K. Jain said India must focus on the use of solar energy and reinforce energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, sustain the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, ensure solid waste management and develop an efficient public transport system. The application of bio-technology, geo-spatial data and information technology would also be important to increase the resistance of crop systems to climate change, he said
The issue of climate change had social, economic and political dimensions and was crucial in terms of planet life, he added.
