India launches its strongest intervention to date COP29 climate talks On Monday, he called for a debate on the “carbon debt” owed by developed countries and called for trade measures that disadvantage developing countries; On the other hand, he argued that a just transition should start with rich nations, not developing economies.

Speaking at a high-level ministerial roundtable on ‘just transition’, India’s deputy head of delegation, Leena Nandan, challenged the narrow framework of climate justice and emphasized that developing countries like India consume only one-third of the global average energy per capita. He argued that this stark inequality in access to energy should be at the center of any discussion about climate transitions.

“Global climate justice is at the heart of our work under the Convention and its Paris AgreementNandan emphasized that development remains “a top priority for countries in the global South.” He emphasized that the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Related Capabilities (CBDR-RC) are fundamental to climate action, not optional considerations.

India has called for monetization of the “carbon debt” owed by developed countries due to historical emissions and overuse of the global carbon budget. “The monetization of this carbon debt would be in the trillions,” Nandan said.

The intervention identified many critical obstacles to a global just transition. India has expressed strong concerns about unilateral trade measures restricting development opportunities for developing countries, perhaps explicitly referring to measures such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) without naming them.

The statement also highlighted how intellectual property rights related to green technologies continue to prevent free and scalable access of these technologies to developing countries and called for an open discussion of these barriers. India has questioned whether current climate science adequately reflects considerations of global equity and environmental justice.

Nandan pointed out the double standards in how the preferences of citizens of developed and developing countries are treated, noting the stark contrast between “the sanctity of the preferences of citizens in developed countries and the costs imposed on citizens of developing countries due to the transition.”

India has also called for greater emphasis on sustainable lifestyles, citing agreements made at the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi earlier this year. This points to India’s continued effort to include consumption patterns in climate discussions.

“The denial of international equality narrows our domestic options and further challenges our goals of providing immediate, rapid and sustained access to development opportunities, impacting the most vulnerable communities in our countries the most,” Nandan said. The effects of inequitable climate action.

India specifically took aim at attempts to frame climate transitions as investment opportunities, stating that this “undermines the ‘just’ element of just transitions by causing the victim to pay for remedies rather than providing remedies themselves.” This criticism seems to be directed at the emphasis of developed countries on private financing and market mechanisms in climate finance discussions.

The intervention flatly rejected early discussions of transition pathways in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and national adaptation plans (NAPs), insisting that “a just transition must begin with transition in developed countries.” This position challenges current efforts by rich nations to universally improve their climate commitments.

In perhaps its most ambitious demand, India called on developed countries to achieve net zero emissions by the end of this decade; That’s a much more aggressive timeline than most rich countries’ current promises. Nandan argued that this accelerated transition in developed countries would serve two purposes: reducing the transition costs currently imposed on their citizens while providing the necessary “carbon space” for developing countries.

The statement emphasized that Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Related Capabilities (CBDR-RC), equity and climate justice should be at the center of discussions, and warned against “prescriptive top-down approaches” that ignore nationally determined transition pathways. India emphasized that transitions in developing countries should not be viewed merely as investment opportunities.

“Frank discussion of these issues and their inclusion in our decisions at COP29 will be the cornerstone of building trust that will pave the way for a truly equitable and just global transition,” Nandan concluded. Concluding his speech with the following meaningful observation, Nandan said, “Just transitions must be fair.” .”