France has said that it supports India’s plans to set up an international solar alliance to promote access to low-carbon energy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to launch the initiative at the forthcoming climate meet (COP-21) in Paris.
“We totally support the solar alliance initiative. Ambitious economic partnerships can be forged between countries under this initiative,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said at a joint press conference with Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar here on Friday.
Fabius said India will be a key player at the COP-21, as a solution to dealing with climate change can’t be found without its consensus.
“India will play a pivotal part in the talks because of several factors including its size and population and the fact that it will also steer a lot of other countries outputs,” he added.
As many as 190 countries are working toward a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, which aims to keep a check on global warming by cutting down on carbon emissions and embracing green technology. Fabius is on a tour of countries which, according to France’s judgment, could contribute to a successful climate meet in Paris beginning November 30. He met Prime Minister Modi and Javadekar on Friday and discussed issues of importance to India. South Africa and Brazil are next on his itinerary.
New Delhi will focus on ensuring that provisions on industrial financing and technology transfer are part of the legal text that gets accepted in Paris, an Environment Ministry official told BusinessLine .
Focus areas“India and several other developing countries are pursing the matter of finance and technology transfer at the on-going negotiations and we will try and see to it that provisions on it are legally binding,” the official said.
When asked what kind of progress had happened on the issue of industrial finance and technology sharing by developed countries to enable developing countries to switch over to green technology, Fabius said it was a difficult issue, but progress was being made.
However, he said issues of financing and differentiated responsibility (more responsibility to bring down emissions countries, mostly developed, that have contributed more to climate change), would be an important part of the Paris deal.