Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change has reiterated the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, but has not referred to historical responsibility. How important is historical responsibility and what does it imply? How is one going to differentiate without historical responsibility? What would be India's responsibility? How do India's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution targets compare with its responsibility?

India submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) on 1 October 2015 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (Government of India 2015). Countries were asked to submit their own INDCs before the Paris Conference of Parties (COP).

The process of INDC preparation involved modelling studies by two different groups—Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)—with frequent consultations with the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) officials. Various ministries were also consulted to get their viewpoints on the possibilities in their sectors. The earlier report of the expert group on low carbon strategy for inclusive growth was also considered (Parikh et al 2014).