India Lashes Out at Developed Countries in ICJ Climate Change Duties Hearing End
India said today that the developed world has long exploited the global carbon budget by failing to honor its climate finance promises and now compelling the developing world to limit resources usage, taking a stern stance against the world’s developed nations at the International Court of Justice. Today, the court heard its landmark hearing on legal duties of the nations upon the issue of climate change.
For instance, India pleaded to the ICJ that no obligations, which are not yet given by the extant structure of climate change, should be created by the present case. Such pleadings also stated, “That all efforts being presently done for redressing climate change must be made on a basis of equity, climate justice and the principle of CBDR-RC.”. The country insisted on having a fair share of the burden in mitigation against climate change, as well as fair historical access to the global carbon budget.
Legal Requirements and Climate Justice
India’s ICJ submission by Luther M Rangreji, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs opines that climate change is a global problem and so does its solution.
However, this global response must be just, the paper pointed out, for those who have contributed to little toward previous emissions cannot be faulted with the same burden as those who have contributed toward the larger issue. Rangreji added that the developing nations contribute to the least of the whole crisis and thus expecting them to carry a just share of the burden regarding the climate crisis was inequitable and unjust.
Rangreji said that the developed countries should lead the way and must be well ahead of 2050 and also in a position to provide adequate financial and technological back-end support to the developing countries. He also said that the climate change issue was primarily caused by the developed countries and also have the highest technical and financial ability to tackle the situation. The climate change had worst affected the developing countries but do not have enough resources to retaliate against the situation.
India has condemned this double standard of the developed world countries. While it has taken all this time to enjoy the benefits of fossil fuel for their development, the same world will be discouraging a developing world from taking their means to ensure development. This way is termed as unfair because in addition to encouraging lessening emission, the developing worlds will continue with the need to find energy to service development needs within their populations.
Climate Finance and Unmet Commitments Among the key issues that India brought forth, failure on the part of the developed countries in the delivery of climate finance was at the forefront. The developed countries promised to commit USD 100 billion when they had a meeting at Copenhagen COP back in 2009, which they have failed to attain.
The doubling of the contributions to the Adaptation Fund, which aimed at supporting developing countries to take action against climate change, is yet to eventuate.
India had termed the new climate finance package agreed for Global South as “too little, too distant” for the needs of developing world at COP29 hosted in Baku.
In effect, India claimed that unless it is measured by the level at which the developed countries provide financial resources, then making an estimation of the obligations on behalf of the states will hardly be fair and meaningful with regards to climate change. Unless there is substantial financing, India reasoned out, then there is little or no global response regarding climate change.
Commitment to meeting Paris Agreement targets While India reiterated fairness and equity in global climate actions, it restated commitment to meet its Paris Climate targets. However, “we cannot burden our own citizens” especially considering one-sixth of the Earth’s population is being focused on Sustainable Development Goals in a country like India.
India accounts for about 17.8 percent of the world population. However, it accounts for less than 4 percent of historical carbon emissions worldwide. Yet it is seriously threatened by climate change: rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and vulnerable ecosystems. Here, India tries to play a balancing act between meeting its climate commitments and the enormous development needs of its populace, which calls for an energy and resource base from which to lift millions from poverty.
Science and Climate Change Policy
India further submitted that climate science is evolving and based on the choices of interpreting scientific evidence. It further contended that policies and actions on climate change must conform to general principles of fairness, equity, and justice rather than science alone dictating these.
It then continued to assume that it would be too difficult to pin the absolute blame or responsibility on a single nation due to the dynamic nature of climate science.
This ICJ hearing is part of the long campaign by the Pacific island nations and Vanuatu, which led in a UN resolution calling for an advisory opinion on the legal obligations of states in relation to climate change. Next week and the week thereafter, 98 countries from small island nations to major emitters will weigh in on the issue. As much as the ICJ’s opinion is not binding, it can serve as a yardstick in normative and legal terms for future action by the international community.
Conclusion: The case of India at the ICJ speaks volumes about deep cracks separating developed and developing nations trying to fight climate change globally. What the required response of climate could be is hinted from the points India has been making: historical responsibilities, differing capabilities and pressing demands of climate finance. That is the prescription, global society is waiting for the International Court of Justice to deliver the verdict in as of hearings, which will eventually decide whether a new light will shine and shape future global negotiations of international climate changes, or otherwise.
Source: International Court of Justice (ICJ) Proceedings, Ministry of External Affairs, India