A draft resolution by the United Nations Security Council on climate change, did not meet approval by India. On Monday, the Indian representative to the UN said that the draft resolution would undermine the pact reached only last month at COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
Security Council - not the platform for climate change
Furthermore, India also said that Security Council was not the platform to discuss issues related to climate change. "Today's UNSC Resolution attempts to undermine the hard-won consensus which we reached in Glasgow," said TS Tirumurti, India's permanent representative to the UN. "This resolution would only sow the seeds of discord among the larger UN membership," he added.
In its explanation of vote, India said, "India is second to none when it comes to climate action and climate justice. But the security council is not the place to discuss either issue. In fact, the attempt to do so appears to be motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum and divert the world's attention from an unwillingness to deliver where it counts." The representative also revisited India's stance at COP26.
While stating that developed countries had fallen well short of their promises, the representative also said, "Today's attempt to link climate with security really seeks to obfuscate lack of progress on critical issues. We are also concerned on the manner in which this issue has been brought before the Security Council. Over the last nearly three decades all member states have negotiated collectively and with consensus an elaborate and equitable architecture to combat every aspect of climate change while arriving at far reaching consensual decision."
China and Russia reject the resolution too
India is not the only nation to have rejected the draft resolution. Apart from India, China and Russia have also opposed the resolution which discusses how climate change could affect and threaten international peace and security. The resolution created by Security Council members, Ireland and Niger has received approval from 12 of the 15 members of the council.
COP 26 in November
Last month, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, kicked off with 195 countries participating in it. Ahead of the conference, India rejected calls to ensure a net zero carbon emissions target, despite international pressure.
The COP26 had recognised India's intervention to "phase down" instead of "phase out" coal as a fuel. India, also backed by China on the issue, defended its stance saying that developing countries could not focus on phasing out coal as a fuel.
