India disfavours efforts to expand climate change fund donor base

Ahead of the Paris climate change summit, India on Tuesday asserted that commitment to provide post 2020 finance to developing countries was based on historical duties of developed nations and attempts to expand the donor base will not be “appropriate”.

Finance is “fundamental” to the success of Paris summit, India said the finance beyond 2020 has to be “predictable” and scaled up from $100 billion. The world is aware of the “enormity” of the task and time is not on its side, said Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, adding that one cannot afford to “complicate” the summit and “we should keep Paris simple”.  “The commitment to provide finance by developed countries is based on their historical responsibilities and not only on their economic capacities. Any attempt to enlarge the donor base by ‘countries in a position to do so’ or ‘countries willing to do so’ will not be appropriate from our perspective,” he said.