World should wait and watch Donald Trump's stand on climate change: India

Marrakesh: Amid apprehension that US President-elect Donald Trump might withdraw the US from the climate-rescue Paris Agreement, India on Thursday said that one should not react on assumptions and “wait” and keep a “close watch” on the situation. Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave, during a media interaction organised by BASIC countries, said Paris agreement is a “settled fact” and whatever is spoken during election campaigns is “different” which is why one should wait for another few months. The BASIC ministers who met in Marrakesh on Thursday said there can be no “backtracking” on the commitments made by the developed nations and no attempts should be made to “renegotiate” the terms of the Paris Agreement. [caption id=“attachment_3098916” align=“alignleft” width=“385”] File photo of Donald Trump. AP[/caption] “Coming from the largest democratic country which always goes for elections in five years, we know the test of results. Power comes and goes and whatever we speak in the election campaign is somewhat very different from when we come to power. “Nothing official has been there (about US decision). On the assumptions, we should not react. We should wait watch and see the situation. Paris is a settled fact. World is going ahead with Paris Agreement,” Dave told reporters. He said that one should not go for words like “ifs and buts” and wait for a few more months and see the situation. “We should wait for another few months and see the situation and then BASIC and Brics countries will decide. This is the time to keep a close watch,” he said. Before his election, Trump called climate change a “hoax” perpetrated by China and vowed to “cancel” the hard-fought Paris Agreement concluded last year to limit dangerous global warming. China and the United States, the two largest emitters, gave a major boost to the accord when they signed on during a summit in September between Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama. US Secretary of State John Kerry who gave a speech at the ongoing climate change conference yesterday without naming Trump said that the “strongest skeptic” has to acknowledge that something disturbing is happening. The BASIC countries will continue to advance their “legitimate” interests of all developing nations with “emphasis” on such nations which are particularly vulnarable to the adverse effects of climate change. The Ministers also stressed the adequate means of implementation support, in the form of new and additional climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building for all developing nations that require it is “indispensable” if countries need to meet the temperature adaptation goal set by Paris agreement. The Ministers also welcomed the early coming into force of Paris agreement, which represents the best contract possible in balancing the circumstances of all countries.