New Delhi: India not "legally" bound under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and it has been "coordinating" with like minded countries for protecting its own interest in the climate change negotiating fora, government today said.
"There is no legally binding commitment for India under UNFCCC till date. India has been actively engaged in the multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC.
"The national action plan on climate change (NAPCC) was released in June 2008 to outline India's strategy to meet the challenge of climate," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed the Lok Sabha.
He said that it has eight missions in specific areas of Solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan Eco-system, green India, sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change which addresses both mitigation and adaptation components of climate change.
"The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change monitors and reviews the mandate and activities under the eight missions. No agreement has been signed on reducing greenhouse gas with any country," Javadekar said.
He said that the new climate change agreement has to be under the UNFCCC and developed countries should take lead in combating climate change as per their mandate under the convention.
"All elements of mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, development and transfer, capacity building and transparency of action and support have to be treated in a balanced and comprehensive manner in the new climate agreement," Javadekar said.
He said that in the context of pre-2020 ambitions, under the ad hoc working on Durban platform for enhanced actions, the developed countries have been urged to ratify the 2nd commitment period of Kyoto Protocol and revisit their targets in 2014.
"India has been coordinating with Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) and the G-77 and China and BASIC (Brazil, India, China and South Africa), group of countries protecting its own interest in the climate change negotiating fora under UNFCCC," Javadekar said.
India is a signatory to the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. The latter was adopted in Kyoto in December 1997 and entered into force from February 2005.
