In the see saw of that the international climate negotiations is the balance has now shifted towards the developing countries. The developed and developing countries argued vigorously over the one last year and both the parties have moved back and forth several times on their negotiation positions.

The United States under the leadership of President Barack Obama pursued a highly aggressive diplomatic effort which resulted in China agreeing to various mitigation measures including improvement in energy intensity. Taking cue from China various other developing countries too announced ambitious mitigation and clean energy initiatives.

The United States successfully planted seeds of division in the developing countries’ camp by singling out China for concentrated talks but what happened transpired throughout the developing world after that was completely unexpected. India, in addition to other developing countries announced several short and long term initiatives as an answer to the increasing international pressure to act on the rising carbon emissions.

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Just as it seemed that differences over contentious issues regarding the next climate treaty were ironing out and all parties moving ahead with a common agenda, the developed countries, US in particular, threatened to stall negotiations until developing countries pledge equal emission reduction measures.

According to new reports, American negotiators demanded that there should be similar mitigation obligations for developed as well developing countries. The demand was strictly against the unanimous decision to draw distinction between capacities of developed and developing nations to reduce carbon emissions taken at the Bali Climate Conference in 2007.

Developing countries, led by India, opposed the demand in one voice and forced the American negotiators to back down.

United States’ stance came as a surprise given that officials from the Obama administration have been in constant talks with various developing countries and that these talks have resulted in many developing countries agreeing to voluntary emission reduction plans. It was that since the carbon output of most developing countries is much less than that of developed countries and that they are not technically and financially equipped to take up bold mitigation measures a clear differentiation between mitigation measures taken up by the two parties.

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The European Union has proposed a climate change funding of €2-15 billion every year for developing countries to help them make transition from fossil fuel based energy systems to clean energy based systems. However, EU does not see the advanced developing counties like India and China eligible for this financial help.

EU in its Global Finance Blueprint for Ambitious Action by Developing Nations paper stated that advanced developing countries should contribute to the climate adaptation fund instead of expecting funds for themselves. According to the paper, advanced developing countries posses ample financial resources to initiate and sustain emission reduction programs.

The Commission said that from 2013, it would depend on the carbon market to fund 40% of the money required for climate change mitigation and adaptation in developing nations. The emerging economies should be able to generate 20-40% of the proposed global fund, it said. The remaining—around $22-50 billion a year—will be paid for by the European Union and the rest of the developed nations.

Developing countries have been at loggerheads with the developed countries on the issue of funding for adaptation to clean fuel technologies. Decision to set up an adaptation fund for helping poor and developing countries was taken at the Bali climate conference in 2007. However, the developed countries are yet to act on their promises of aid as they find themselves constrained by the global economic crisis and objections by their own people.

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While lauding President Obama for making climate change a central issue in his administration’s policy the Indian government demanded that more needs to be done on the part of developed nations, especially in regard to setting robust emission reduction goals and funding clean energy projects in developing countries.

Setting the agenda straight for the Copenhagen talks, India’s envoy on Climate Change said that no workable solution could be reached if the developed countries did not agree to stricter emission reduction goals. He reiterated his country’s stand that it was not ready to commit to any emission reduction goals. He said that technology transfer and funding of clean energy projects are the biggest issues which could decide the future of the next climate treaty.

The views presented by India’s envoy are very unfortunate and seem highly unfair. As far as funding is concerned, India and China are the biggest beneficiaries of the Clean Development Mechanism through which developed countries finance clean energy projects in developing countries to offset their own carbon emissions. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, China is the largest polluter while India is the third largest. This bestows a great share of ‘collective but differential’ responsibility on the Asian giants to cut carbon emissions.  

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President-elect Barack Obama recently assembled his ‘dream green team’ which comprises of some of the best scientific minds of America. This green team symbolizes United States’ first real departure from the ideas that the Bush administration had regarding climate change. Obama seeks to use their expertise to not only create a low-carbon economy while creating new jobs but also, in doing so, set example for developing nations so that they could be persuaded to do the same.

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There is an urgent need to bring down the rising carbon emissions and switch over from the dirty fossil fuels to clean alternative energy sources. Leaders of the developed and developing nations completely agree over this plan of action but, sadly, the agreement between the two ends there. Both parties agree that they have got to act quickly but none is willing to take the initiative on the economic front of the fight against climate change.

Under the Kyoto Protocol the onus of controlling and bringing down the carbon emissions was on the developed nations with the help of tools like the national carbon registry and the emission permits whereas the developing nations were not obligated to any emission cuts. Now that the talks for a new climate treaty have started to gain momentum the developed nations want the developing countries to reduce their carbon emissions under that treaty. And although the developing countries recognize their responsibility in the fight against climate change they are unwilling to bear the full economic burden of the same.

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Understandably, developing countries face unique challenges in addressing concerns related to the environment. Apart from the environment, poor developing countries have more pressing and immediate problems that oftentimes present themselves so forcefully that politicians are forced to make too many compromises, particulalrly on environmental issues.

But simply ignoring “going green” will indeed destroy the base of natural resources that developing countries need for sustainable economic, social, and political prosperity.

“For most, emission reduction is not a viable option in the near term. With income levels far below those of developed countries and per capita emissions on average just one-sixth those of the industrialized world developing countries will continue to increase their emissions as they strive for economic growth and a better quality of life,” says Eileen Claussen, President of Pew Center on Global Climate Change.

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Set for its world premiere today at the Cannes Film Festival, and then its wide release on Thursday, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will feature Peru prominently in its story. One preview for the movie shows a plane flying over the Nazca Lines and according to another the characters will also take their quest to find the Crystal Skull into Peru’s jungles. Looking back at the past Indiana Jones movies, Peruvians should hold their breath before cheering the arrival of Indiana Jones in theaters.

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