Javadekar outlines India’s approach for Climate Change

Shri Prakash Javadekar, addressing media prior to his departure to Lima for attending the United Nations Climate Change conference said that India’s stand on climate change would be rooted on its need to address pressing domestic issues like poverty eradication, food security and nutrition, universal access to health and education, womens empowerment and gender equality, water and sanitation, clean energy, employment generation, creating sustainable cities. The Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change further said that the Government had pursued voluntarily set targets with commitment, conviction and followed-up action and had played an active and positive role in tackling the Climate Change.

Shri Javadekar further opined that the Conference of Parties in Lima should build trust and pave the foundation for the Paris Global Climate agreement to be held in 2015. This could be achieved by constructing credibility of existing mechanisms by comprehensive treatment of all issues under the UNFCCC processes. He said that the Lima conference should outline clear, transparent and coherent articulation of processes, reflecting a balance between the right to development and Climate sustainability.

The Minister said that “Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)” as part of 2015 agreement would be addressed in the context of enhanced actions and would include all issues - mitigation, adaptation, capacity building and transparency of action and support. The comprehensive INDC would also project the requirement of support in terms of finance and technology transfer. It would cover all the national missions and other initiatives under National Action Plan on Climate Change as well as State Action Plans on Climate Change.

Shri Javadekar said that the immediate upscaling of ambition in the second Commitment period of Kyoto Protocol and its early ratification by all Kyoto Protocol parties would be a step in the right direction. Concerning mitigation, India is of the view that distinction enshrined in the Convention between Annex I (Developed) and non-Annex I (developing) Parties must be maintained in accordance with the principles of Equity, CBDR and other provisions of the Conventions. Announcement of contributions for Green Climate Fund (GCF) and its actual deposit should be ensured by developed countries. GCF could be used to purchase Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) of climate friendly technologies. He expressed concern that the non capitalization of the Green Climate Fund was a matter of concern and could affect the 2015 Climate agreement.


India is of the view that historical emissions of developed countries as laid down in the Conventions should be the basis for differentiation. The developing countries’ need for inclusive growth, sustainable development, poverty eradication, and energy access to all must be recognized as fundamental to the approach to differentiation, he emphasized.

Shri Javadekar also outlined the various budgetary announcements on Solar power, increase in clean energy cess, climate adaptation fund, National Mission on Himalayan Studies, Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission and launch of National Air Quality Index as initiatives that the government had undertaken on voluntary basis with its own resources in pursuance of a sustainable development strategy.