Question : CLIMATE CHANGE

(a) whether India has participated in discussions held on climate change at various international fora and conferences;

(b) if so, the details of the discussions held on this issue at such forums/conferences during the last 3-years and in the current year;

(c) the details of the stand taken by the Government in the matter, agreements reached and action plan chalked out to address the issue of climate change;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any scientific study on the climatic changes caused by global warming and its adverse impact on the country; and

(e) if so, the outcome thereof?

MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

a) Yes Madam.

b) India has been actively engaged in multilateral negotiations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in a positive, constructive and forward looking manner based on the basic principles of the Convention and its subsequent decisions. The last 3 Conference of Parties (COP) were held in Durban (COP 17 in 2011), Doha (COP 18 in 2012) and Warsaw (COP 19 in 2013). In COP 17, Durban Platform was created with an objective to develop a protocol for negotiating another legal instrument having binding commitments under the Convention for enhancing the emission reduction ambition by 2020. Further Institutional Mechanism for finance and adaptation was created. An Ad-Hoc Working Group on Durban Platform (ADP) was established to facilitate the negotiations. In Doha Conference, decisions regarding enhancing actions as envisaged in Bali Action Plan were taken. The Conference held in Warsaw further discussed about the possible decision on 2015 agreement. A decision in this regard was taken with a request to invite all Parties to initiate or intensify domestic preparations for their intended nationally determined contributions to be submitted by the first quarter of 2015. In addition the discussion on equity, finances, technology transfer including IPR issues and Capacity building was held.

c) Does not arise as the negotiations are still underway. However, the stand taken by the Government of India in regard to the 2015 agreement to be negotiated by the ADP that it should follow the existing principles of the Convention. Besides, India has been pursuing these issues very closely in the meetings and the COP and other UNFCCC forums by aligning with the G-77 and China, BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) and the LMDCs (Like Minded Developing Countries).

d) Yes Madam.

e) Studies under the aegis of India’s Second National Communication (NATCOM) submitted to the UNFCCC in May, 2012 and scientific study titled “Climate Change and India: 4X4 Assessment - A Sectoral and Regional Analysis for 2030s” in 2010, have assessed the implications and impacts under a projected Climate Change scenario, based on which adverse effects on agricultural, water, forests, health, sea level rise, extreme events and infrastructure have been assessed.