India, France agree to evolve global consensus on climate change

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Sharing international concern over the greenhouse phenomenon, India and France today agreed to work towards the swift achievement of a global consensus by 2009 on the long-term cooperative action in the fight against climate change ''now, up to and beyond 2012.'' The two countries also reaffirmed that the goal of the international community in the face of climate change must be the stabilisation of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to a level that would ''prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system'' as per the objective of the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change).

In a joint declaration on global warming, signed after talks between visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they agreed that long-term convergence of per capita emissions of developing countries and developed countries is an important principle that should be seriously considered in context of the international climate change negotiations.

It said France and India would jointly endeavour to achieve this objective by working actively and constructively within the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

In this context, they expressed satisfaction over the progress made in Bali with regard to operationalisation of the 'Adaptation Fund' and hoped that the secretariat services provided in the interim period of three years by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) would be efficient, cost-effective and timely.

The two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on climate change and other environmental problems, such as biodiversity, water resources, desertification, natural calamities, forests, waste management and fight against pollutions, as well as to the promotion of technologies and their transfer to developing countries.

Some of the areas the two countries charted out for cooperation were modelling climate change; study of vulnerability arising from climate change and its effects; and research and development of technologies for adapting to climate change.

They also decided to explore the possibilities of cooperation with third countries for the benefit of LDCs (Least Developed Countries).

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