Description |
After a brief introduction to the science of climate change and
the social and economic impact of its consequences on a developing country
like India, the talk will look at the evolving international politics of
climate change since 1992 when the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change came into being. The most important element of this multilateral
framework has been the Kyoto Protocol that came into force in 2005, an
interim measure to quantitatively limit carbon and other greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere, the main anthropogenic cause of climate
change, whose first commitment period comes to an end in 2012. In December
2009, the 192 signatories to the Convention will meet at Copenhagen for
the 15th Conference of the Parties to arrive at an agreement for the
second commitment period beyond 2012. The current state of play of the
negotiations, the current face off between the developed and developing
countries, the shifting policy stance of India and the prospects at
Copenhagen will be discussed.
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