Pipli (Haryana): The failure to reach a
deal at Copenhagen has prompted the European Union to evolve a
fresh negotiating strategy on climate talks and this will be
conveyed to India by visiting EU Commissioner for Climate
Action Conni Hedegaard.
The EU has decided to approach the climate talks on a
step-by-step basis and try to get an agreement on less
contentious issues first.
"We will push for an agreement in areas where there is
a broad consensus," Hedegaard told.
She said she would convey the same to Environment
Minister Jairam Ramesh when she calls on him tomorrow.
However, Hedegaard insisted that there was no change
in the EU strategy on climate talks but only an attempt to
develop a new negotiating dynamic.
"We do not want repeat of Copenhagen in Cancun," she
said.
The climate talks in Copenhagen last year failed to
reach a legally binding agreement to tackle global warming and
will resume in Bonn tomorrow.
Several round of talks are expected to be held this
year before the finale at Cancun in Mexico in December.
About a fortnight back, EU president Herman Van Rompuy
said that the 27-member EU now believes that it needs to press
other parts of the world to tackle climate change step-by-step
-- which means they would temporarily cool a big push for
other regions to sign a pact curbing global warming.
The European governments have also decided to
strengthen their country`s outreach to other countries by
addressing climate change at all regional and bilateral
meetings and also at major international gatherings such as
the G-20.
Hedegaard has already visited the US and Mexico last
month and has also held deliberations with the Chinese
delegations in Brussels.
Before coming to India late last night, the top EU
climate official has visited Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In a
discussion with Ramesh, Hedegaard will underline the need for
action-oriented decisions to be reached at the UN climate
conference at the end of the year in Mexico.
She is also expected to ask for active support from
India and other BASIC countries in integrating the substance
of the Copenhagen accord into the UN decision text.
Hedegaard is visiting environment-related projects
sponsored by the EU in various parts of Haryana today.
PTI
