How much ground India conceded at the climate summit will depend on which of two sets of words packed in a single sentence of the Copenhagen Accord dominate in the negotiations ahead, experts have said.
The Copenhagen Accord indicates that actions by developing countries to curb emissions of greenhouse gases would be open to interna tional consultations and analysis.
India has in the past asserted — as articulated by environment minister Jairam Ramesh in Parliament earlier — that it would submit only actions supported by foreign finance and technology to the process of international scrutiny. It has said information about non-supported emission-curbing actions would be communicated to Parliament and to the UN climate agency.
But a sentence in paragraph 5 of the accord says developing countries will communicate their actions through “national communications with provisions for international consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines that will ensure that National Sovereignty is respected”.
“We need to be careful that the words ‘international consultations and analysis’ are not used to apply intrusive inspections on actions or trade sanctions,” a senior member of India’s climate change negotiating team said.
The accord — a political statement in place of the original goal of a legally binding document — is intended to be translated into legal form through further negotiations over the next six to 12 months.
India’s negotiators would have to ensure that the reference to “national sovereignty” in the accord trumps the provisions for international consultations and analysis, a climate policy expert said.
“What has been agreed to may not have been termed international scrutiny, but during the process of consultations, objections could be raised about the adequacy of India’s emission-curbing actions. This could lead to bickering.”
The consultation process may bring on India the same intensity of pressure that industrialised countries could face under the monitoring, review and verification regime, he said.
The government is expected to present before Parliament tomorrow the outcome of the Copenhagen meeting. With the Left already sharpening its knives, the government is expected to draw attention to the reference to “sovereignty” in the accord.