India has asserted that as developed nations are ‘historically responsible’ for global warming, they must deliver on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as promised earlier. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar stated that the GCF is only talked about and never materialized.
The Green Climate Fund was set up in 2010, under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Back then, developed countries had promised USD 100 billion each year by 2020 to help developing nations cope with climate change.
This geo-political debacle has raised concerns ahead of the Paris climate talks, scheduled to take place from November 30 to December 11, in Paris later this year. What India seeks is a ‘just’ deal for developing nations. The current proposition places highly regressive growth restrictions on developing countries.
Environmentalists and climate scientists have their hopes tied to the Paris talks. Several ground-breaking studies have indicated that global warming cannot be ignored any longer. But India’s concern regarding the one-sided nature of the agreement are also valid. Developed nations must come up with a more neutral proposition which does not hamper the growth plans of any developing country.
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