Unfair Onus on Developing World in Climate Talks: Sunita Narain

Climate change talks are skewed to the benefit of the developed world, with the onus of change falling on the rest.

Sunita Narain, the Director General of the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE), has written a piece on the 2015 Climate Conference in Paris, bringing up how the onus of transitioning to clean energy rests entirely with developing countries, the issues with monitoring progress and how developing countries are blamed for emitting high amounts of pollution.

The Umberella Group, led by the US, includes the biggest rich polluters like Japan and Australia. As Narain points out, ironically, this group wants the transition to clean energy to happen only in the developing world.

The fact is the Umbrella Group has spurned all efforts to control their own runaway emissions.They have not contributed money. They have not contributed technology. They have not done anything to pay for a transition to clean energy in the developing world.  

Sunita Narain

Unsurprisingly, the Umberella Group has pushed for its agenda in the guise of caring for the small island nations, which will “suffer horrendous consequences with rising temperatures.”

According to Narain, these main countries have had an image makeover – they’d prefer to appear as the good guys concerned about climate change, while portraying the rest of the world as pollution criminals.

Narain also brings up the New York Times article that chastised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “daring to speak about fair share of the carbon budget within hours of his speech.” But at least he tried.

Climate change is not of our making. It is the result of global warming that came from the prosperity and progress of an industrial age powered by fossil fuel.

Narendra Modi at COP21

According to Narain, in the current climate change talks the Umbrella Group and other developed countries seem inflexible on their agenda. Such summits lack actual dialogue and negotiations but are instead well-planned theatrical displays.

But Narain insists that for a true dialogue “voices of dissent cannot become illegitimate or be put on mute,” as this is “climate change intolerance.” This intolerance must be resisted, until all voices are heard and consensus is reached.