The Hindu reports that the BASIC Group countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) met in New Delhi on January 24.
These countries hold 40 percent of the world’s population and account for nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
It would appear that they support an extension of the Kyoto Protocol and a new agreement for the United States and emerging economies.
The countries indicated that they will submit their emission reduction targets by January 31, as agreed to in Copenhagen.
(It appears that Canada will not meet this deadline, in part due to the prorogation of Parliament. The UN now describes this as a “soft” deadline.)
They also urged the Danish government to convene the two ad-hoc working groups negotiating long-term co-operative action and further emission reductions at least five times before COP 16, which takes place November 29 to December 10 in Mexico.
One concern emerging from the meeting is that promised climate financing funds may simply come out of existing aid budgets, rather than as new money.
The BASIC group countries will meet next in South Africa in late-April.
The Hindu news report is at http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article94419.ece.
