India's move to ratify Paris Climate deal a 'big' step: Dave

India ratifying the Paris climate agreement will be a "big" step and will bring a big change in world stage with regards to climate change, Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave today said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will ratify the pact on October 2.

 "Today Prime Minister has announced that India will ratify the Paris agreement, implying the agreement arrived at in Paris has been accepted by India in binding. The goals decided, the targets fixed with regards to climate change, 55 nations will come together to achieve this, later more countries will come.
 

 "I believe that this is a major step taken by India on the world stage. Ratification of Paris Agreement by India will bring a big difference to climate change," Dave said.  Earlier, in a surprise move, while addressing BJPs National Council meet here, the PM announced that India will ratify the Paris Climate Change Agreement on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.


"There is one work left in the CoP21 (Conference of Parties). Ratification is yet to be done and India too is yet to do it. Today on the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay, I announce that India will ratify the decisions on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi," he said. Modi said he had chosen the date, which is next Sunday, as Mahatma Gandhi's life was an example of minimum carbon footprint.

Dave said till date, more than 50 nations have signed the agreement, that is they have accepted the pact according to their respective Constitution.  "In India, this right is vested with the Prime Minister and is vested in the Union Cabinet," the Environment Minister said.  During the Paris climate meet last year, more than 190 nations had agreed on setting ambitious goals for capping global warming and funnelling trillions of dollars to poor countries facing climate catastrophe.


The pact will come into force after it is ratified by at least 55 countries that account for 55 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.  The surprise announcement by Modi came after India had earlier this month said that no decision to ratify the Paris climate change agreement has been taken so far as its domestic processes in this regard were still underway.

 While Western countries including the US has been supporting an early ratification of the pact, India has been seeking more time to complete its national processes as it fears that any hasty decision may impact its developmental projects.

 Dave said that India believes that development and environment go together and every decision including the signing of Paris agreement and now ratification has been taken keeping in mind the interest of the people of India.

• climate change
• Paris Agreement