BASIC countries look to find common environmental strategy

Environmental ministers from the BASIC countries will meet in New Delhi this week in an attempt to find a common and concerted strategy on the new global climate change regime proposed in Durban.

The BASIC countries of Brazil, South Africa, India and China will meet for the first time since talks in December, where the countries agreed to have the post-2020 climate agreement in place by 2015. Talks between the four emerging countries will be closely eyed by nations around the world, who view the BASIC group as being key to the successful outcome of climate talks.

David Miliband has recently appealed for leaders not to let austerity get in the way of climate change action. In a feature article in the Financial Times, he cited the stalemate talks in Copenhagen in 2009 as being a good example of what should not happen post-Durban talks, placing the emphasis on the BASIC countries to take action on climate change.

A unilateral agreement is certainly the most important outcome that needs to come from the talks in New Delhi. The lack of cohesive and unified sentiment across the world has rendered Copenhagen and Cancun ineffective, and the same cannot happen with Durban.

Published by Joseph Hutton