New Delhi: The Copenhagen Accord has received mixed response in India with climate experts divided on its implications for the country while Left parties and some NGOs have attacked it.
"Basically, the climate deal struck in Copenhagen is the first step towards a more comprehensive legal framework to tackle global warming," Nitin Desai, a member of Prime Minister`s Council on Climate Change, told reporters.
He said that things would be more clear early next year when developed countries declare their commitments as per the deal in Copenhagen.
Navroz K Dubash, senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, felt the Accord was "quite a weak deal" which was "highly inadequate" to address the challenge of global warming.
The deal reached at Copenhagen on Saturday does not commit any nation to emissions cuts beyond a general acknowledgement that global temperatures should be held along the lines agreed to by leading nations in July.
On the issue of review of mitigation actions, Dubash said that definitely, India`s stand had been diluted on the issue.
The issue had become a sticking point in the negotiations and an agreeable formulation was reached at only after US President Barack Obama stepped in to break the logjam meeting the leaders of Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
"With the provision for international consultations (on mitigation action), national sovereignty will be respected," said Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe).
However, Desai had a different take on it. "In my opinon, no," he said when asked whether India`s position had been diluted by it agreeing to enter into `international consultations` on its mitigation actions.
"I do not see the word review in the text (of the Accord)," he said.
"We will have to see how things unfold in the future," said Uttam Sinha, Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses.
The Left parties had criticised the Accord alleging that the world leaders had failed their people by not delivering an effective and equitable climate change agreement.
"The apprehensions of all poor nations that ultimately a deal will be imposed by the US has proved correct. It is a sorry spectacle of succumbing to US pressure," the CPI said in a statement.
In a similar statement, the CPI(M) Politburo had said "the political leaders who gathered in Copenhagen have failed their people by not delivering an effective and equitable climate change agreement."
"Something is better than nothing. We have to move ahead and cannot confine ourselves in Kyoto Protocol since it was not encompassing all countries," said B Mahtab, a BJD MP who was part of the Indian delegation to Copenhagen.
Parikh said that the Copenhagen Accord also creates confusion over the Kyoto Protocol.
"Yes and no. The Accord creates a confusion on what to follow -- whether Kyoto or Copenhagen," she said when asked whether the Accord seeks to undermine the Kyoto Protocol.
She was also sceptical on the 100 billion dollar fund proposed to be raised by rich nations by 2020 to help poorer nations cope with the effects of climate change, such as droughts and floods.
"Usually, these things do not materialise to the extent they are imagined to be. Very often such things take a long time to establish," Parikh said noting that the Clean Development Mechanism also took a long tome to be set up.
Centre for Science and Environment, an NGO, slammed the Accord as "disastrous" at it agrees to weak and non-legally binding commitments from developed world.
"It will be disastrous for the world, particularly the poor and the most vulnerable, as it will allow emissions to increase in the rich world," it said.
The accord says that developing countries` actions, which are not supported through international finance and technology will also be open to international consultation and analysis, which could become a backhand way of bringing in international commitments on countries like India, the CSE said.
However, Rajni Ranjan Rashmi, Joint Director, Environment Ministry, said India`s concerns on non-binding emission cuts have been met at the Copenhagen summit.
PTI
