Cancun climate summit: Pachauri asks Mexico to be realistic

New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) With hopes of a consensus
eluding the Cancun climate meet, IPCC chairman R K Pachauri
has urged host Mexico to be realistic and work hard in pushing
rich nations to put climate funds on the table.
"There will be least expectations (of a consensus)
this time (at Cancun). I doubt if you will get anything close
to a global agreement. It is not possible particularly
considering the situation in some countries," Pachauri said,
apparently referring to delay of passage of US climate law.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has already
acknowledged that the December meeting might not produce the
definitive agreement the world body is seeking.
Talking to PTI, Pachauri said during his recent
meeting with the Mexican leadership in the run-up to the
crucial summit, he has cautioned them to be "realistic and
don't pitch expectations very high because that will not
really work."
Highlighting the need for an action on climate money,
he told the host country "for heaven's sake please get the
commitment on funding.
"So I think Mexico will have to work on some of these
countries to see that they (developed nations) really put some
money on the table," he said, noting that of the USD 30
billion agreed by the developed states between 2010-2012, no
funds have been made available so far.
The head of the Noble-award winning Inter-governmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), however, said he was looking
forward for some limited agreements for concrete actions to
control Green House Gases at the crucial meet slated to be
held by the year-end.
Most countries at the Copenhagen Summit last year
signed an accord that called on governments to limit the rise
in global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius, but
without spelling out how to achieve this goal.
He made clear that at the multilateral level it was
the responsibility of the developed nations to provide funds
for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and not
developing nations as has been demanded by some industrialised
blocks.
"They (rich nations) have to take the first step but
they are not doing that," he said, adding that at a bilateral
level there was no harm in major developing countries like
India pitching in to help the least developed nations.
"If it has money, I see no harm in India providing
technical support to the needy countries at the bilateral
level," he said. (MORE) PTI AJ RET
MYR


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