This story was first published on NRDC’s switchboard.
The seventh BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change took place in South Africa, near Durban, from 28 to 29 May 2011. The BASIC countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China – were joined by Argentina as an observer. At the conclusion of the Ministerial, the countries released a statement recognizing the need to work constructively towards the UNFCCC seventeenth Conference of Parties (COP-17) at the year-end in Durban, and underscored that a great deal of work is needed in the next few months to ensure a comprehensive and balanced outcome at COP-17.
India was represented by Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, J.M. Mauskar. India recommended three additional items for inclusion in the agenda for COP-17 at Durban: equity and sustainable development, trade measures and climate; and mitigation, adaptation actions and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
The Ministers underscored the centrality of the negotiations under the UNFCCC framework and the Kyoto Protocol, and stressed that a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, starting after 2012, is “absolutely critical”. They also demanded results on the “fast start finance” promised by developed countries in the Copenhagen Accord. In this context, they urged the UNFCCC Secretariat to publish information on funding already disbursed, so that there would be international tracking and accountability to these commitments.
The BASIC leaders emphasized the need to stick to the Bali Road Map, which includes:
- A shared vision for long-term cooperative action, including a long-term global goal for emission reductions;
- Enhanced national/international action on mitigation of climate change;
- Enhanced action on adaptation;
- Enhanced action on technology development and transfer to support action on mitigation and adaptation;
- Enhanced action on the provision of financial resources and investment to support action on mitigation and adaptation and technology cooperation.
Ministers from the BASIC countries urged Annex-I countries to undertake their commitments in an appropriate legal form, stating that this is consistent with respecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. The group also highlighted that an appropriate balance is needed between mitigation and adaptation needs, especially for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Ongoing work on creating a framework for equitable access to sustainable development was reviewed at the BASIC Ministerial, and will be refined further in preparation for COP-17.
Leaders at the meeting reaffirmed the commitment of BASIC countries to continue working to strengthen the G-77, as well as rebuilding trust in the multilateral system as a whole. The next BASIC Ministerial will take place in August 2011 in Brazil. We hope that at that meeting, not only will BASIC countries identify actions that must be taken by Annex-I countries, but that in addition, they will also lay out a concrete, voluntary action plan for the BASIC nations themselves. By doing so, BASIC countries will position themselves as leaders in the global climate fight and go into Durban with considerably strengthened bargaining power. Given the ever growing urgency of climate change, especially in terms of impacts within BASIC countries, we look to them to rise to the challenge, be proactive, and demonstrate what true leadership looks like.
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