Call to Government of India by concerned citizens and organisations

DEVELOPED COUNTRIES MUST PAY FOR

HISTORICAL AND ECOLOGICAL DEBT

As we write this to the Government of India, different country governments are busy with intense climate negotiations at the ongoing UNFCCC sessions in Bangkok. As people all over the world have realised, the face of climate negotiation has been dramatically altered with the call given by a large number of developing country Governments in their official submission to the UNFCCC, demanding that the climate debt of developed countries must be repaid, and this payment must begin with the outcomes to be agreed in Copenhagen.

For example, the Bolivian country government submission clearly states that “Developed countries climate debt - the sum of their emissions debt and adaptation debt - are part of a broader ecological debt reflecting their heavy environmental footprint, excessive consumption of resources, materials and energy and contribution to declining biodiversity and ecosystem services.” Within the same climate justice understanding, many poor states and communities - all victims of the reckless over-consumption of the northern countries and the overconsuming elite of the south, leading to a historical injustice in the form of the accumulation of wealth by the overconsumers and deprivation for the forced under-consumers -- are also demanding drastic cuts in the emissions by these overconsumers. We call upon the Indian government to fully support these demands.

This view is gaining ground amongst many developing countries. Seven of them have already signed the official call for reparations and 49 countries have inserted the phrases ‘climate / ecological debt’ and ‘historical responsibility’ in their official submissions to the UNFCCC. While India has very recently used ‘historical responsibility’ in its official submission, we feel it is not enough. India needs to strongly support the call for reparations against climate and ecological debt in the ongoing negotiations and stand solidly with the other developing countries.

We appreciate that the Government of India has taken a stand for using public finance for climate funds as against World Bank, GEF and other IFI funds. This stand needs to be reiterated and we strongly call upon the Government to stand firm on its stand against climate funds being sourced from IFIs and GEF.

We urge the Government of India to endorse the Bolivian government demand[1]. The developed north should be ready to pay reparations against their climate and ecological debt. Any effort to bring in the private sector into climate funding needs to be strongly resisted by developing countries. We also urge the developing countries, including India to ensure that the principle of common but differentiated responsibility is taken beyond the currently employed narrow interpretation only at international levels and should be taken right up to the community and household levels. Similarly, mechanisms needs to be put in place to ensure that the real ecological solutions are decided in a democratic way and that such steps directly benefit the poor rather than bring additional costs to them.

We, concerned citizens and organisations from India demand that India along with other developing countries should play a historical role in the climate negotiations, making sure that environmental and climate justice becomes the key instead of ‘false solutions’ in the road to Copenhagen.

Appeal endorsed by:

ORGANISATIONS:

1.      Nadi Ghatti Morcha - Chhattisgarh

2.      National Forum of Forest peoples and Forest Workers (NFFPFW)

3.      Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee (JMACC) - Jharkhand

4.      National Fishworkers Forum (NFF)

5.      Water Watch Alliance, India

6.      National Hawker Federation

7.      South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and Peoples (SANDRP)

8.      Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

9.      People’s Campaign for Socio - Economic Equity in the Himalayas (PCfSEEiH)

10.  Asha Parivar

11.  Kaimur Kshetra Mahila Mazdoor Kisan Morcha, Uttar Pradesh

12.  Hawker Sangram Committee, Kolkatta, West Bengal

13.  Focus on Global South

14.  Intercultural Resources

15.  North East Peoples Alliance

16.  Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) – Hazaribagh Chapter, Jharkhand

17.  Jan Chetana, Raigarh, Chhattisgarh

18.  Samata, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

19.  Environment Research and Action Collective, Himachal Pradesh

20.  Programme for Social Action

21.  Partners in Justice Concerns (PJC-India)

22.  mines, minerals and Peoples (mm&P), India

23.  Vikalp, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh

24.  MATU Jan Sanghattan, Uttarakhand

25.  Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), West Bengal

26.  Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Orissa

27.  Earth Equity Institute, India

28.  Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation (KSMTF)

29.  Arunachal Citizens Rights, Arunachal Pradesh

30.  Save the Forest Movement, Jharkhand

31.  Burma Centre Delhi

32.  River Basin Friends, Assam

33.  All Idu Mishmi Student’s Union

34.  NESPON, West Bengal

35.  Affected Citizens of Teesta, Sikkim

36.  Speak out Salem, Tamil Nadu

37.  Shwe Gas Movement

38.  Indian Social Action Forum

39.  Forum for Better Visakha

40.  Delhi Platform

41.  Equations, Bangalore, Karnataka

42.  KABANI

43.  Environics Trust, Delhi

44.  Orissa Dalit Women Forum

45.  Kalahandi Mahila Mahasangha, Orissa

46.  Critical Action Centre in Movement (CACIM, New Delhi)

47.  Delhi Forum

48.  CORE

INDIVIDUALS:

1.      Prof. Amit Bhaduri, Economist

2.      Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Senior Academic and Social Scientist

3.      E.A.S. Sarma, Former Secretary to Government of India

4.      Dr. Satinath Choudhury

5.      Adv. Ashok Agrwaal, Lawyer, Supreme Court

6.      Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, Senior Journalist & Executive Editor, Kashmir Times

7.      Dr.S.G.Vombatkere, Mysore

8.      Nityanand Jayaraman, Independent Journalist and Researcher

9.      Suresh Bhat B

10.  Manoj Misra

11.  Bijulal M.V., Researcher, Indian Social Institute

12.  Ramana Kumar Kandula, Andhra Pradesh