Indian PM, Modi, has shaken hands and said nice phrases but India isn’t going to commit to Paris until they are ready (if ever). That’s a bit of a blow for the Paris agreement which has only 17 signatories of the 55 countries it needs. For the Paris agreement to come into effect it is also supposed to include countries that produce 55% of global emissions. Thanks to the GWPF for compiling some of the stories here.
There are two versions of reality out there in media-land. Some Media spins it as “success”:
India to work towards Paris climate pact
India-US Joint Statement- Climate: In halfway meeting, both nations come a long way
India Aims To Join Paris Climate Change Agreement This Year
And somewhere out there will be poor sods who aren’t paying attention, and think that India might actually reduce emissions. But instead of megatons of carbon, they’ll be getting a “jolt of momentum”. Did you feel it? Me neither.
WASHINGTON — India has agreed to work towards joining the Paris Agreement on climate change this year, India and the United States said on Tuesday, giving a jolt of momentum to the international fight to curb global warming.
But the hard word is “No” — it didn’t happen, won’t happen this year, and was below expectations:
US to Ratify Paris Climate Pact This Year, No Timeline from India
India contradicts US claim over signing climate deal this year
The Hindu: India denies that it will ratify Paris Agreement this year
The Whitehouse statement contains these telling lines and the misleading use of “similarly”:
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.
By which we can definitely say that India has not done nothing. They have written a memo.
The sad thing is that people who want news need to read their newspaper like a legal contract. How much fun can you have spotting weasel words in the morning news?
But, regarding en
ergy programs, critics note that India has committed to very little under the Paris agreement. They say much more will be needed from India and the rest of the world to keep the planet below the 2-degree threshold that scientists consider critical to Earth’s well-being.
…India plans 290 GW of new coal-fired capacity by 2030, according to a Climate Action Tracker report.
BACKGROUND: What the Paris agreement needs to come into effect
The agreement, forged last year, will take effect when at least 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions ratify it.
As of late last month 17 small countries had ratified the pact, according to the United Nations, and many others including the United States and China have pledged to ratify it in 2016.
Environmental groups had hoped Modi would say that India was ready to ratify the agreement during his Washington trip to cross that 55 per cent threshold.
India has come a long way and is now aiming to move towards something, which was different from it’s previous position of random wandering.