Working Towards Climate Justice In A Non-ideal World

Context: The election of Joe Biden as U.S. President has catapulted climate change to top of the global agenda.

Major diplomatic push towards climate change:

• S. call to reconvene Major Economies Forum (MEF): Starting with Leaders’ Climate Summit.
  • First convened in 2009, a result of U.S. efforts to rope in major emitters.
  • Aim: To push a way forward on climate change without heeding to the principle of differentiated historical responsibilities. (linking GDP to the GHG)
• Commit to net zero (GHG emissions) by 2050: E.g. Chinese posited reaching carbon neutral by 2060, pushed to be there a decade earlier.
  • Broadening ambit: The UN Secretary-General called on countries to declare national climate emergencies apart from building a coalition for a carbon-neutral world by 2050.
  • Status: As of today, countries representing around 65% of global CO2 emissions have already agreed to this. Push to take this figure to 90% within 2021.

Challenges for developing countries:

• Double penalising: Overlooking differentiated and historical responsibilities and denying priority access to remaining carbon space double penalises developing countries.
  • More than 75% of carbon space available to humankind to keep global temperature rises to 1.5° C has already been taken up by the developed world and China.
• Ignores developmental imperative: India being one of the world’s largest economies with an extraordinarily small carbon footprint in per capita terms.
• The threat of carbon border levies: On those who do not take on high carbon cut-down targets by the EU and other developed nations. (World Trade Organisation will also modify its tariff system)
• Funding issues: Countries emitting above the global per capita carbon emission average of 5 tons would pay into a global fund, while those below would receive the monies.
  • The unacceptability of the West: While this would suggest certain equity (as India’s per capita CO2 emission is only 2 tons), it may be unacceptable to developed countries.

Way forward

• Need for international reviews and verification system: Critical to ensuring compliance of ambitious carbon-neutral plans by all.
• Towards global governance: Climate justice is imperative for India, which needs to leverage its green and pro­nature commitment to ensure carbon space for its developmental and global aspirations.