TAG: GS-1: IR & GS-3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: The 29th annual UN Conference on Climate Change, COP29, will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11-22 November 2024. Each COP conference will have a special focus on international cooperation on climate change, with common but differentiated responsibilities at the heart of the negotiations.
EXPLANATION:
What is the Common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR)?
- The principle was established at the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. As a result, CBDR is enshrined as a fundamental principle in Article 3(1) of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) establishes joint governmental responsibility for anthropogenic climate change and associated environmental destruction.
- Developed countries acknowledge their responsibility in the international pursuit of sustainable development, in light of their societies’ pressures on the global environment and the technologies and financial resources they control.”
- The principle acknowledges that responsibility is unequally distributed among countries because of their different contributions to the causes of climate change and their various economic capacities.
- CBDR considers the greater historical responsibility of industrialised countries compared to most countries in the Global South, which have contributed less.
- This forms the basis for financing climate adaptation measures in regions severely affected by climate impacts but economically disadvantaged.
- However, there is yet to be disagreement within the international community on whether most of the financing burden falls primarily on industrialised countries or countries such as China and the petroleum states within the G77.
Key Elements of CBDR-RC:
- Common Responsibilities: The concept of “common responsibility” ensures that all countries are included in international climate agreements. Certain countries might opt out without a common responsibility, undermining global efforts.
- The CBDR-RC makes international agreements realistic and feasible. It enables flexible targets and timelines for countries, making it possible for them to contribute in ways that are manageable and commensurate with their capabilities.
- Respective Capacities: The principle considers the varying capacities of countries to deal with environmental challenges. Developing countries may require support, both in terms of financial assistance and technology transfer, to effectively participate in global efforts to address environmental issues.
- Differentiated Responsibility: Differentiated responsibility allows for a fairer distribution of obligations. It acknowledges the higher burden on developed nations, which are expected to lead in cutting emissions and in providing financial and technical support to less developed countries.
- Building capacity enables developing countries to take on greater responsibility over time, fostering long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency. It also empowers these nations to engage in and fully comply with international agreements.
What are the challenges?
- Disparity in Developmental Priorities: Developing and developed countries have divergent priorities. Developing countries prioritize economic growth and poverty alleviation, while developed nations often emphasize environmental sustainability. This creates tensions around how much responsibility and burden each should carry.
- Continued over-exploitation of Global Carbon Budget: The developed countries, which have already used 4/5th of the global carbon budget, continue their overexploitation of the remaining budget. This reduces developing nations’ share in the carbon budget and goes against CBDR-RC principles.
- The Global Carbon Budget refers to the maximum cumulative global anthropogenic CO2 emissions from the pre-industrial era to when such emissions reach net zero. The remaining carbon budget indicates how much CO2 could still be emitted from a specified time after the pre-industrial period while keeping temperature rise to the specified limit.
- Accountability and Enforcement Issues: The need for binding enforcement mechanisms in many environmental agreements complicates the application of CBDR. Without penalties for non-compliance, countries can fail to meet their commitments without facing repercussions.
- Backtracking on Commitments: Developed countries have violated the CBDR-RC principles by backtracking their net-zero targets, climate finance pledges, and climate-related actions. For Ex- Reopening coal plants across Europe after the Russia-Ukraine war created an energy crisis, the failure of the developed countries to provide US 100 billion dollars a year (agreed at COP-15), overstretched net-zero reduction targets (the US must achieve net-zero by 2025 instead of 2050 to achieve Paris goals).
- Equity vs. Efficiency: Applying CBDR to balance equity (fair distribution of responsibilities) and efficiency (cost-effective climate action) is challenging. Striking this balance can be politically contentious, as countries disagree on what is “fair” regarding climate obligations.
- Avoidance of Binding Targets: By avoiding binding targets in the new negotiations, developed countries have reneged on their responsibility owing to historical contributions. For ex-, The Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement are voluntary & non legally binding, unlike the Kyoto Protocol targets.
Conclusion:
While CBDR is foundational to climate and environmental agreements, its practical application is fraught with equity, capacity, and commitment issues. Successfully applying CBDR will require greater flexibility, more precise definitions, and more robust mechanisms to ensure that all countries can contribute meaningfully and fairly to global environmental goals.
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