Nations agree on Paris Treaty rulebook, but miles to go…

Nations agree on Paris Treaty rulebook, but miles to go…

News

196 countries at COP24, Katowice have agreed on rulebook to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Important facts

1. The Paris Agreement’s “rule book” establishes the rules and processes needed to provide the operational guidance for fulfilling the ambition of the Paris Agreement. It includes details on several fronts:

• how the emissions from every country should be measured
• how these measurements should be reported and verified
• the manner in which financial flows should be accounted
• the information that every country needs to provide regarding their climate actions
• the mechanisms for diffusion of appropriate technologies to developing countries
• How collective efforts will be reviewed, leading to scaled-up actions and support every five years (Global Stocktake)

Criticisms of Paris Rulebook

1. According to critics, the Paris Rulebook falls short of the radical action to address climate change and does not include ant firm commitments by countries to reduce carbon emissions despite the recent report of U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC.
2. Critics have opined that the rulebook has adopted primarily a mitigation-centric approach and the urgent adaptation needs of the developing countries have not prioritised
3. Egypt, Africa group and the association of small island states have alleged the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities has been compromised in the rulebook
4.  The key question of how countries will step up their targets on cutting emissions also remains unaddressed
5. According to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi the rulebook does not include provisions for assess the reporting of financial grants or review whether it is adequate
6. A key element of the rulebook was supposed to be the governance framework for a new carbon market that is sought to be created under the Paris Agreement. However, consensus on carbon credit market could not be reached.
7. Critics have raised doubts about effective implementation of the rulebook. This is because the UNFCCC has become primarily a platform to collect and synthesise information and a forum to discuss and debate but lacks tools to drive global collective action against climate change

India’s stance

1. India has welcomed the Paris Rulebook and stated that it addresses the concerns of all stakeholders and provides roadmap for effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.
2. However, India also opined that provisions of global stocktake did not adequately reflect the principles of equity and differentiated responsibilities.

Way Forward:

Climate negotiations should be viewed as environmental negotiations and not economic negotiation. To address climate change, all the countries need to cooperate and work together to reduce emissions.

Additional Information

Carbon Credit:

1. It is a permit which allows a country or organization to produce a certain amount of carbon emissions and which can be traded if the full allowance is not used.
2. Under the Kyoto Protocol, carbon credits were earned by industries in developing countries by making verifiable reductions in their emissions. These credits could then be traded, for money, to developed countries which wanted these credits to fulfil their emission reduction targets.