New Delhi – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that India is ready to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement on October 2 is certainly a welcome development.
It will be recalled that the Paris accord on climate change was a historic agreement reached by more than 190 countries last year that sought to restrict the rise in global average temperature to below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
In fact, the Paris accord is the successor to the Kyoto Protocol that fell way short of expectations. The biggest problem with Kyoto was that it set off the developed against the developing countries by imposing emission targets on the former while letting off the latter.
This eventually saw two of the biggest emitters – the US and China – refuse to do their bit in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, Kyoto was dead in the water. The disaster forced climate negotiators to go back to the drawing board and work out a different approach. And with the Paris accord, both developed and developing nations were told to come up with their own Intended Nationally Determined Contributions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, the new process has all countries in it together as exemplified by both the US and China ratifying the Paris accord in lockstep.
On its part, India has done well to follow suit and announce its own ratification. This will not only boost the implementation process of the Paris accord but also give New Delhi a front-row seat in the deliberations that will shape the climate change mitigation mechanisms under the agreement. In fact, much remains to be worked out in terms of standardising mitigation verification, possibly setting up an independent carbon auditor, and ensuring climate financing flows from developed to developing nations. India should have a substantial say on these matters.
In this regard, it’s noteworthy that the next UN conference of parties on climate change (COP22) is in Marrakech, Morocco starting on November 7. This, no doubt, will be a pivotal summit that will determine the course of climate change mitigation for decades to come. Hence, India and host Morocco should take this opportunity to work together to ensure that the Paris accord has a successful birth in Marrakech.
In fact, Morocco has already taken decisive steps in shoring up its investments in renewable energy, especially solar. This is best exemplified by Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate solar power complex which will be the largest of its kind when completed. Together, India and Morocco can coordinate their positions in the Marrakech negotiations and serve as a powerful voice for the Global South.
The Marrakech conference will be a turning point in the history of the world and its fight for survival in the face of rapid climate change. India and Morocco must pool their resources and ensure its success.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
