‘India Must Rebuild The Coalition Of The Past In These Climate Negotiations’

NEW DELHI: The visit of US climate czar John Kerry to Delhi appears to have gone off well, going by media reports. But exactly what Kerry and his Indian counterparts agreed and disagreed upon will remain confidential. But Kerry’s push for “net zero” emissions is a pointer to his larger game plan.

India’s former climate change envoy Ambassador Shyam Saran, believes that there will be mounting pressure from the US on the issue of “net zero with the deadline of 2050. Talking on StratNewsGlobal’s four-part series on climate change, he warned that India needs to be aware of the pitfalls ahead and must not succumb to empty promises of “a seat at the high table”, or other inducements.

In his view, India must rework its approach to the climate change negotiations and seek to rebuild the broad coalition of developing nations of some years past. They look to India for guidance and leadership and Delhi must not let them down at this critical juncture.

More in this conversation with Ambassador Shyam Saran.