PARIS DEAL NOT LINKED WITH NSG BID

Paris deal not linked with NSG bid

India To Ratify Accord Today

On the eve of India signing the Paris Agreement, Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave asserted that there was no link between the country's bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and ratification of the global climate deal.

He also stressed on Saturday that there was absolutely no pressure on the government and that India would continue to play its key role in articulating the interests of developing countries both under the Paris Agreement as well as during the upcoming negotiation on the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda, on the issue of phasing out the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant.

“India's decision to ratify the Paris Agreement has come after ensuring compliance of domestic legal require ments, internal discussions and after obtaining clarity from UNFCCC with regard to transparency and participation of parties (countries) in future processes,“ said Dave.

India's ratification of the agreement will come on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday (October 2), generating the political momentum to bring the deal into force in November. On Wednesday , the Union cabinet approved the ratification and later President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent.

Asked if there was pressure on India to ratify the agreement, Dave said, “We do not like if somebody puts pressure on us... We just wanted to see if our interests will be taken care of...“

Asked about India's negotiating stand in Kigali conference (October 8-14) where countries are expected to arrive at `freezing year' and `baseline year' to phase down production and consumption of HFCs, Dave said, “We will stick to (the baseline) 2028-30 and freezing year (2031). We will make sure that development is not compromised.“

The `freezing year' is the year when use of HFCs will peak before being rapidly scaled down and phased out while the baseline is instrumental in fixing levels. Though rich nations want an early `freezing year' (2021), India has been insisting to use HFCs till 2031before phasing down.

(toi)