English Article

The Glasgow Test

Historically, India has been a strong proponent of climate justice.

In the next fortnight, a world desperate for solutions to the climate crisis will be hoping for a much improved outcome from the UNFCCC’s 26th Conference of Parties at Glasgow compared to what the meet achieved two years ago. The spectacular failure of COP-25 in Madrid — the conference wasn’t held last year because of the Covid pandemic — to complete the process of framing rules of the Paris Pact despite going overtime by almost two days had shown a light on the disconnect between global climate diplomacy and the imperative to bring down GHG emissions. Exorcising the ghosts of the longest meet in UNFCCC’s history will require breaking the impasse between India, China and Brazil and the industrialised countries over the future of carbon markets. The latter have stonewalled attempts to allow the transition of carbon credits earned in the pre-Paris pact era into the landmark deal’s rulebook, claiming that many of these credits do not accurately represent emissions reductions. The Madrid wrangling represented a new low, even for a process that has often been found wanting, largely because of the developed world’s failure to honour its commitments — financial, technological and emissions-related.