Yet another UN climate conference has gone by with little to show by way of results. All that emerged after nearly two weeks of tedious discussion was a vague commitment to ‘transiting’ out of fossil fuels, which account for about 80 per cent of total emissions. There was an extended and rather meaningless wrangle between the chair and host, the United Arab Emirates, an oil producing country, and some of the rest, over whether the term ‘phase out’ should be used instead of ‘transition’. Indeed, ‘phase out’ is unrealistic, as steel plants or aircraft cannot run on wind or solar.

But a whole new ecosystem of ESG players, NGOs and VC funders perhaps stand to gain from such optics. So, it is not surprising that the conference failed to arrive at any consensus on issues that matter, such as climate finance. Nor has the so-called first Global Stocktake on what has been achieved since the 2015 Paris conference when nationally determined contributions came into being, provided the expected clarity on the way ahead. It should have led to a sharper realisation of the slippages on the part of the developed world. The US and EU account for 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, against their historical share of nearly a third, but this falling share could also be on account of a rise in parts of the developing world, principally China. India’s share at 7 per cent compares favourably with China’s 30 per cent, given that both account for an 18 per cent share each of the global population.

The Global Stocktake report released on December 11 dilutes or shelves the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, which is supposed to underpin climate ambitions at a country level as well as transfer of funds and technology. India has rightly called out the report (para 28) for “accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power”, as being inimical to meeting livelihood needs — even as it is well on course to meeting its renewable energy goals in terms of installed capacity. Indeed, the fragility of grid infrastructure in the face of a high reliance on renewables is an issue that needs to be overcome globally. This issue cannot be brushed aside amidst the goal to triple renewable energy capacity globally over the next seven years. With the developed world reneging on their commitment to shell out $100 billion a year for adaptation (to ravages of climate) and mitigation (of emissions) in the developing world, the future of climate talks looks rather bleak. There can be no collective way forward if climate justice is given the go-by.

The fight for climate justice continues in the UN meets and outside it. While India’s position cannot be faulted, it must look beyond renewables to fix its ecological issues — preserve its carbon sinks and clean up its transport. This is a green transition that it must carry out on its own terms.

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