India wants a broad outline or roadmap for the
implementation of the Paris agreement to be finalised at the crucial climate
change conference here, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said on Monday.

The Environment Minister, who arrived here to attend the high-level segment of
the ongoing Conference of Parties (CoP22) which begins on Tuesday, said India
will push the world for adopting a low carbon lifestyle during discussions.

Asked about India’s stand on pressure from civil society groups on governments
to put an end to coal usage especially with the country’s heavy dependence on
it, Dave said a decision cannot be reached by becoming an activist but one has
to think “holistically”.

“Whatever goals were fixed in Paris, the countries need to make route maps
of that (here). Off course it will be for the post 2020 period. But if we do
not talk and decide about it today (in Marrakech) how will such big nations
form their policies,” Dave said.

“If the Marrakech conference makes even a broad outline of it, it will be
a big achievement for us and for the world as we will at least finalise the
routes of the Paris agreement.

We can do the detailing in the next two years. But major goals should be
finalised. These are the expectations,” he said on the sidelines of an
event at the India Pavilion here.

The CoP22 started on November 7 and will go on till November 18 as nations
continue their work on strengthening the global response to the threat of
climate change, with the central focus on enhancing ambition, promoting
implementation and providing support.

Before the start of the conference, the Environment Ministry had said India
will push the agenda of sustainable lifestyle at the global climate conference
apart from focussing on the issue of mobilising finances, which has been its
“overriding” concern, to tackle climate change.

Dave said India will push the issue of following a low carbon lifestyle during
the summit which all nations including developed and developing countries need
to follow and asserted that unless all the countries do this, talks will not
yield results.

He also referred to the example of Delhi where he said despite pollution levels
being high, people continue to burst crackers.

“We will push for low carbon lifestyles. We had taken it up in pre-CoP
meetings as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in Paris also talked about
it (that countries need to decrease carbon emissions),” Dave said.

“…Its like that Delhi situation, you are bursting crackers even in
marriage processions but you know breathing has become a problem then how it
will work. Everybody (nations) has to decrease (emissions),” Dave said.

“We want to bring this issue to the notice of both developed as well as
developing countries. All (countries) have to contribute,” he said.

India is likely to stress the urgency to take adaptation
action as adaptation in the agriculture sector from the point of view of food
security is a key priority for developing countries.

India is also likely to push operationalisation and meaningful outcomes from
the new bodies set up under the Paris agreement which includes technology
framework and Paris committee on capacity building.

Asked about India’s stand on civil society groups urging governments to put an
end to the usage of coal, Dave said, “They are raising their own points.
But when you make policies for your country or for the world, one cannot do
that by being activists.”

“One has to think about it holistically. You cannot shut down all the
machinery like railways etc. They are putting up their point that is good. We
will think about it in totality and then take a decision,” he said.

Asked how India will work on the issue of water in terms of climate change
adaptation measures, Dave said India will coming out with a full agenda
“exclusively” on water in 2017.