For climate of change

Record-breaking heat, cold, rain and snow the world over should not make it so difficult a task to reach a deal that essentially aims at limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. At the core of why the global climate change talks have always run into rough weather, however, is the issue of rich versus poor. Over which countries lead the way and pay for the pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions. ‘We’ve got what we wanted' was Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar's take as over 190 countries adopted the Lima Call for Climate Action. Relief rather than cheer would be a better nuanced result of what India and other developing countries managed to achieve and avert after hard-fought negotiations at the UN talks in Peru. The Paris Summit in 2015 is the next challenge.

Averted was any deal that would put the onus on them to reduce carbon emissions at their own cost, rather than the developed world largely funding it, as promised, and providing technology. Despite its joint plan with the USA to cut emissions, China and the developing economies' group of 134 countries, anchored by India, got an assurance of not being put under any great pressure to do more to cut emissions before the end of 2020. A promise was also restored of a 'loss and damage' scheme to help the poor countries with the financial implications of rising temperatures.