India's dominance in agriculture won the day for whole world's agriculture in the U.N. Convention on climate change at Warsaw.Indian delegation ensured that the talks remain focused on adapting agricultural practices to climate change and not on costly emission reduction measures that would impact farmers directly.
Thus India scored a win in Warsaw on emission cuts affecting farmers, with huge and wide-ranging support from other countries, including the entire G77+China bloc and, surprisingly, the United States.
Though the developed countries, especially the European Union, have for several years been keen on ensuring that climate negotiations focus on reducing emissions in the agricultural sector, and here India successfully manged the mandate tasked to its delegation to Warsaw to ensure that mitigation in the agricultural sector does not find space at the negotiations managed.
The agriculture dominated economic lobby of India, China and a large number of African countries have countered by pointing out that emission reduction efforts in the agricultural sector would affect farmers,who constitute a large percentage of the population, and are often the weakest section, in the developing world. They also argue that the effort to reduce emissions should be focus on fossil-fuel-based activities that spew out carbon dioxide; the greatest contributor to global warming by far. As paddy fields and livestock are some of the biggest losers due to emissions, thus the emission reduction in the sector has major implications for India and China.
Ravi S. Prasad, one of the lead negotiators for India, explaining how many countries came together on the issue, and said,“It’s the emphatic realisation and thrust on adaptation in agriculture, given the diversity of needs and concern of poor countries, that was realised by one and all". He concluded correctly,"while the door has not completely been shut on mitigation in agriculture, the window that had been surreptitiously opened this year has been firmly bolted down".
INDIA HONEST feels a vibrant India has a lot of support on international forum, provided our government gives enough time and thought , away from domestic woes, to pro-actively fight for national interest on international forums including UN.