BJP, NGOs oppose scrutiny of India`s climate actions

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Government's move to allow
international scrutiny of its climate actions at the ongoing
UN summit at Cancun has drawn sharp criticism from main
opposition BJP, which sought intervention of the Prime
Minister, and NGOs that feel it is an uncalled for compromise.
Expressing concern at what it termed was a "deviation"
from India's stated position, the BJP has urged Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to "personally intervene and prevent the
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh from deviating our national
position in favour of the developed countries."
"The Minister has committed India to a position of
being prepared to engage in a system of monitoring, review,
verifications/international consultations and analysis
(MRV/ICA) of domestic climate actions.
"This was never India's position," Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said as Ramesh heads
for Cancun to attend the summit which kicked-off from November
29.
Jaitely alleged that "slowly but surely" the Minister
has committed India to international verification of
unsupported domestic actions, which is a "deviation" from the
government stand in Parliament earlier on the issue.
"This position is contrary to the elementary
principles of equity where the developed countries pollute and
India pays for environmental correction," the BJP leader said.
Ramesh had stated that India was prepared to engage in
a system of MRV/ICA of domestic climate actions, but with some
conditions including respect for national sovereignty.
International Consultation and Analysis is a mechanism
by which domestic climate change commitments will be subjected
to international scrutiny.
Jaitley said Ramesh had promised in Parliament on
December 7, 2009 that India will not accept the same level of
international scrutiny for unsupported mitigation actions.
Before leaving for Cancun, Ramesh had said that India
will take crucial steps to break the deadlock existing over
climate negotiations at the Cancun by offering to open its
voluntary climate action plan to international analysis.
However, unimpressed at the move, Centre for Science
and Environment (CSE) said India offering for international
consultation and analysis (ICA) would essentially mean
third-party monitoring of domestic targets and mitigation
actions, something that violates the basic premise of the
global climate debate.
Terming the proposal as an uncalled for compromise at
best which will not yield any positive result, CSE head Sunita
Narain said, "it will ultimately lead to the removal of
distinction between developed and developing nations." PTI