Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to ratify the Paris Agreement, but called for climate justice and help from the US and other countries in green energy funding.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held two-hour long bilateral talks with the US President Barrack Obama, the seventh since he assumed office, called for a regime of “climate justice” where India will have access to clean energy, an oblique reference asking the West to get its act together to help it in nuclear trading and to fund non-conventional energy programmes, to allow India to switch from fossil fuel to clean energy and thereby adhere to Paris Climate Change agenda.
Soon after the meeting, Obama while welcoming Modi talked about the necessity of implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Modi pledged to ratify the Agreement, but called for climate justice and help from the US and other countries to help India in clean energy. “Discussed with Modi how to bring Paris climate agreement into force as quickly as possible,” said Obama.
India Refuses To Commit To Paris Ratification
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed support for the enactment of the Paris climate agreement this year in a meeting Tuesday at the White House. Support for the agreement falls short of a commitment to ratify that U.S. President Barack Obama had been hoping for.
“We discussed how we can as quickly as possible bring the Paris agreement into place, [and] how we can make sure that climate financing that’s necessary for India to be able to embark on its bold vision for solar energy and clean energy … can be accomplished,” Obama said afterward.
If India had ratified the deal, it would have gone into force well ahead of the original 2020 target and sent a strong signal that developing countries are serious about fighting climate change — arguments the president likely impressed on his Indian counterpart in talks. But the response fell short of expectations.
The Hindu: India denies that it will ratify Paris Agreement this year
While the U.S. side insisted that Mr. Modi and the President agreed that both countries would ratify the climate treaty within the current year — 2016 — Indian officials said this was not the case.
The joint statement leaves enough room to accommodate both interpretations. “India and the United States recognise the urgency of climate change and share the goal of enabling entry into force of the Paris Agreement as early as possible. The United States reaffirms its commitment to join the Agreement as soon as possible this year. India similarly has begun its processes to work toward this shared objective,” the statement said…
Joint Statement Reveals India’s Hesitation
JOINT STATEMENT: The United States and India: Enduring Global Partners in the 21st Century
1) The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the President of the United States of America Barack Obama met today in the White House during an official working visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States. Marking their third major bilateral summit, the leaders reviewed the deepening strategic partnership between the United States and India that is rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, universal human rights, tolerance and pluralism, equal opportunities for all citizens, and rule of law. They pledged to pursue new opportunities to bolster economic growth and sustainable development, promote peace and security at home and around the world, strengthen inclusive, democratic governance and respect for universal human rights, and provide global leadership on issues of shared interest. […]
4) The United States and India share common climate and clean energy interests and are close partners in the fight against climate change. Leadership from both countries helped galvanize global action to combat climate change and culminated in the historic Paris Agreement reached last December. Both countries are committed to working together and with others to promote full implementation of the Paris Agreement to address the urgent threats posed by climate change. India and the United States recognize the urgency of climate change and share the goal of enabling entry into force of the Paris Agreement as early as possible. The United States reaffirms its commitment to join the Agreement as soon as possible this year. India similarly has begun its processes to work toward this shared objective. The leaders reiterated their commitment to pursue low greenhouse gas emission development strategies in the pre-2020 period and to develop long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies…