India, Egypt, Bangladesh set positions at climate conference

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 16: -- India, Egypt and Bangladesh want all countries to abide by the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" during talks at the high-level segment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for Environment and Forests of India, said Wednesday that "our entire approach to this conference is anchored in the sanctity of the troika -- the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action Plan." "We believe that the well-known and widely accepted principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and historical responsibilities are sacrosanct," he said. Ramesh said that the temperature increase ought not to exceed two degrees Celsius by 2050 from mid-19th century levels. 

This objective must be firmly embedded in a demonstrably equitable access to atmospheric space, with adequate finance and technology available to all developing countries," he said. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the success "rests on our ability to conclude a fair, balanced and ambitious deal." The deal should respect the principles, provisions and commitments set forth in the UNFCCC, in particular the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and respective capabilities, he said. 

 

"All developed countries should commit to specific targets to reduce their emissions," he said. He said developed countries should assume their responsibilities under a second ambitious commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Mubarak also said that necessary and needed funding should be allocated to developing countries, especially in Africa. He said Egypt aspired, like all developing countries, to achieve higher growth rates and sustainable development, while at the same time facing the negative effects of climate change, especially the phenomena of coastal erosion and the scarcity of water resources that flow to the Nile River. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said all nations must take immediate action on the basis of the Bali Action Plan on sustainable development. Developed countries must commit to deep and legally binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, she said. "The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities must be upheld," she said. Adaption funding must be at least 1.5 percent of the GDP of developed countries, separate from official development assistance, Hasina said, asking the developed countries to allow the transfer of eco-friendly technology at affordable costs. Sourc:news.xinhuanet.com/