Paris and climate change

Though the Paris Agreement marks a beginning in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and as a result, will try and help the world slow down climate change, all this will not be possible without any binding force on developing nations as they are supposed to lead the world as far as emissions are concerned (“ >At Paris, something for everyone ”, Dec.15). Enabling financial options to developing countries to explore green technologies will not be enough. India’s move to boost the use of renewable energy will get off the ground only if there is an attempt to focus on energy storage and transmission technologies.

Poonam Ambhore,

New Delhi

Geographically, the concept of global warming has been such that while it has been exarcebated due to the policies of the developed nations, the worst sufferers are the developing nations. Unfortunately, there is no binding rule

vis-à-vis climate change as its consequences know no political boundaries. However, now that a beginning has been made, we have to ensure that disproportionate gains are not made by big businesses in the name of emission trading. For this, developing nations ought to put in place strong monitoring and regulatory regimes backed by appropriate statutes.

R.K. Jha,

Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh

If nothing else, the Paris accord has demonstrated the collective will of the international community to save the planet from the peril of climate change. But for the spirit of accommodation shown by all the stakeholders, the deal would not have been sealed. The pact must be welcomed for it will at least try to stop climate change from getting worse. At the same time, it has to be admitted that the deal falls far short of the requirement to keep the temperature below 2° Celsius. The poor nations have succeeded in preventing the rich nations from rejecting outright the concept of “differentiated responsibilities” and the “polluter pays” principle, but still, the deal “being tilted in favour of the rich countries” is evident from the fact that they are not legally bound to slow down the rate of greenhouse gas emissions till 2020. Those who have “more to lose” must play a greater role in the mitigation of climate change by “de-carbonising” their economies and following “sustainable consumption patterns”.

G. David Milton,

Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

The Paris Agreement is revolutionary, or so claim the architects of this treaty. The world today can no longer pretend not to understand the gravity of a phenomenon called global warming. The very existence of life on earth is at stake and the congregation at Paris could not disperse without evidence of some document. What has India got from Paris? It has got right-sounding words like equity and common-but-differentiated responsibilities mentioned. It has managed to incorporate terms like climate justice, sustainable lifestyle and consumption. India seems to be happy that it does not have to make any drastic adjustments or change its energy consumption patterns in the near future. But is this enough given the crisis before us?

K.S. Jayatheertha,

Bengaluru