NEW DELHI: India's ambitions for a seat in the United Nations Security Council could well decide it approach to a binding climate agreement. The vulnerable developing countries are considering the idea of offering New Delhi support for its Security Council claim in return to a serious engagement on a legal agreement that includes all major emitters.
This could mean in order to secure the support of the vulnerable and least developed countries to push through its Security Council ambitions, New Delhi will have to recalibrate its stance on a legally binding agreement. India's consistent position has been that the consensus on content of the global deal should be agreed upon before deciding on its form.
A possible and acceptable solution could be that while New Delhi accepts in principle the idea of a legal agreement, and begins discussions, it does so without accepting a timeline. The absence of a fixed timeline or a deadline for the agreement to come into effect will give India the space to ensure that the "content" elements, including finance and technology, of the deal are worked out before a pact is signed on. This would be closer to the sequencing suggested by China in its recently published White Paper.
New Delhi's recent diplomatic efforts in securing support for the inclusion of the three agenda items-trade, equity and intellectual property rights-have opened the communication channels for this understanding to be worked out. India invested considerable diplomatic energies asking its envoys to meet with government representatives of the vulnerable and least developed countries to explain the rationale behind the inclusion, in order to build a consensus that would support the effort.
This recalibration could put the pressure back on the industrialised countries to increase their ambition to reduce their emissions, as well as ensure a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol. This move could also tie in support from the African countries, which have been steadfast and most vocal about the Protocol, for India's UNSC bid.
Support for India's ambition and the rationale for the expansion of the Council could be the factor that tips the balance for New Delhi as it decides its future course of action on the issue of a global climate agreement.
