India, along with other major developing nations such as China and Brazil, could well be on its way to standing up against richer developed countries.

The 18th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) ministerial meeting on climate change, which concluded on Friday in New Delhi, brought to the fore the crucial question of responsibilities of the developed nations and the controversial issue of payment of compensation for climate-related damages of $100 billion a year by 2020.

Ahead of at least two major climate talks — UN Climate Summit in September and UN Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in December — the representatives of the four major developing nations met to discuss points and tactics.

The meeting — attended by Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, India; Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission, China; Teixeira, Minister of Environment, Brazil; and Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs, South Africa — discussed the lack of any clear roadmap for providing this $100 billion.

Issues discussed

During the UN Climate Change Conference 2013, held in Warsaw, this issue had resulted in the Indian delegation, along with those of more than 100 developing countries, walking out. This, along with other issues — such as higher emission targets for developed countries, provision of finance and capacity-building support for developing countries — were discussed at the BASIC meeting.

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