Common Futures

Sustainability
Cooperation across borders may lessen the impacts of climate change, prevent
worsening of stresses over food security, and help develop the human and
technical skills needed to cope with increasing climate change. The time has
come for constructive cooperation between Africa and India to jointly tackle
shared challenges.
countries is a shared aspiration. Rural populations need to access electricity,
climate smart agricultural practices must be developed, and adaptation best
practices can be shared between the two regions. Cooperation across borders
may lessen the impacts of climate change, prevent worsening of stresses over
food security, and help develop the human and technical skills needed to cope
with increasing climate change. The time has come for constructive cooperation
between Africa and India to jointly tackle shared challenges.
Global action on climate change
The fight against climate change under the auspices of the United Nations
began in earnest in 1992 with the adoption of the Rio Convention,
particularly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). The UNFCCC emphasized the twin principles of Common
But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR) and Respective Capabilities (RC) 1 .
CBDR and RC enshrine the principle of equity in the multilateral response to
climate change, wherein countries who are most responsible for the problem,
i.e. developed nations, must play a leading role in mitigation efforts as well as
support countries who are most vulnerable to climate impacts, i.e. developing
countries.
India and Africa are both vociferous supporters of the principle of equity
in the climate arena. Multilateral negotiations on climate change will come
to a head once more this year in Paris as the Conference of Parties (COP)
attempt to agree a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. The Paris conference has
been billed as the ‘last chance’ for a global deal on climate change. Both India
and African nations have stressed the need for any agreement in Paris to be
equitable and take into account the special needs and vulnerabilities of both
regions. In fact, the Indian Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate
Change, Prakash Javadekar has emphasized the shared concern of African
countries and India that the Paris agreement must give equal importance to
both mitigation and adaptation 2 and has promised that cooperation between
India and Africa will be taken to a new level under the government of Prime
Minister Modi.
1 United Nations, “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change”, May1992, accessed
October 6 th 2015, https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf
2 “India to partner with Africa to fight climate change”, Times of India, March 4, 2015, accessed
October 6, 2015. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/
India-to-partner-with-Africa-to-fight-climate-change/articleshow/46458662.cms
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