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To counter West, China and India reach out to small island-States
The Hindu : News / International : To counter West, China and India reach out to small island-States
The BASIC group of large developing nations India, China, Brazil and South Africa on Monday intensified their efforts to win the crucial support of small island States on the climate change debate ahead of the year-end U.N. summit at Cancun in Mexico.
Their attempts, however, faced hurdles, with persistent differences on emission reduction targets between the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the BASIC countries.
The AOSIS has emerged as a key voice in the climate debate, given the particular susceptibility of small islands to the consequences of climate change and rising sea-levels.
The West, in the past, used the interests of the AOSIS countries to pressure large developing nations like China and India to take on greater commitments.
Representatives from Grenada, current chair of the AOSIS, attended a two-day meeting of the BASIC group, which concluded here on Monday.
Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said, Grenada's attendance, and contribution to a statement released on Monday, was a very positive development.
The most important thing is the statement has been brought out by not just the BASIC group, but other countries as well, including representatives of the AOSIS who greatly contributed to this meeting, he told The Hindu.
Differences
The statement, however, suggested continuing differences between the BASIC and the AOSIS. The AOSIS has been calling for a climate deal that would limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees centigrade by 2050.
The BASIC, however, wants a 2 degree cap, citing the need for the developing countries to be able to continue their growth, and the absence of any agreement with developed nations on equity in using carbon space. The small island States have argued that their very survival is at stake.
The final BASIC statement reflects some of those differences, saying that the Ministers reaffirmed their support for the aspirational objective of keeping global temperature increase well below 2 ºC, but also recognised diversity of views on more ambitious aspirational objectives.
It said, The resolution to this issue links directly to reaching a political understanding of equity.
The AOSIS is sticking to the 1.5 degree [cap], Mr. Ramesh said. But the fact that they are talking to us is very, very important.
Their support, he said, was crucial, given that European and Western countries have been using the AOSIS to put pressure on India and China.
Grenada has invited Mr. Ramesh, along with China's top climate official Xie Zhenhua, to a meeting with the AOSIS representatives on the island on November 1.
Re-connecting with G77
To secure the support of the AOSIS and African countries, China has been promoting a BASIC-plus approach, to expand the influence of the BASIC group within the G77.
Mr. Xie recently told The Hindu that China believed that expanding the negotiating block was needed to bring on board the AOSIS and less developed countries, whose interests diverged with the BASIC group at Copenhagen.
It is more effective to include different countries for different issues, he said.
This attempt to find common ground with other developing countries, which form the larger bloc of the Group of 77, was also reflected in the statement, where Ministers reiterated that the BASIC as part of the Group of 77 and China will continue to work and strengthen the unity of the Group, and play a constructive role in facilitating climate change negotiations.
India using China to prevent herself from becoming a "yes man" of Uncle SAM. Japan is an example of a "yes man or a lapdog of USA".
