Climate negotiators meet

New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) Climate negotiators and expertstoday held separate discussions on how to approach theKyoto Protocol in its second commitment period and action inemission reduction as the sixth meeting of the top officialsfrom BASIC countries officially opened here today.

The crucial meeting of the Environment Ministers fromBrazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) will be heldtomorrow to assess the post-Cancun climate change policy andwork out strategies for the next climate summit to be held inDurban in December this year, officials said.

The Ministers are expected to make an assessment ofthe Cancun Agreement and would discuss issues like global goaland equitable access to sustainable development, furthercommitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol andenhanced reporting obligations and accountability of Annex Itargets, officials said.

Annex I Parties are the industrialized nations whichadopted emission cut targets for 2008-12 period under theKyoto Protocol.

The ministers will also discuss the issue of phase-outof HydroFluoroCarbons (HFCs), which is a ''solution'' from anozone depletion perspective but a ''problem'' from climatechange perspective since they have high potential to causeglobal warming, officials said.

Representatives from Argentina, Algeria and theMaldives have also been invited to the meeting of the quartetformed in Beijing in November 2009.

In the run up to Durban summit, the countries areexpected to finalize the rules and modalities for implementingthe decisions taken in Cancun, Mexico.

This is the first major international meeting of anygroup of countries since December, 2010, when CancunAgreements were reached under the leadership of Mexico as theChair of 16th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC and KyotoProtocol.