China and India signal progresso on transparency

The world's two largest emerging economies both respond positively to a call from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. "We are 75 percent underway with a solution," says Indian minister.
Morten Andersen - 18/12/2009 - Both China and India are prepared to give the international community more insight into their national measures to mitigate climate change. As US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, assured Thursday that the US is onboard a solution for financing for the developing world, she also attached conditions to the offer. Particularly that China - the world's biggest emitter - and other large emerging economies would accept independent scrutiny of their commitments to limit emissions over the coming decade.

"If there is not even a commitment to some sort of transparency, then that’s kind of a deal-breaker for us. There has to be a commitment to transparency." Hillary Clinton told a press conference, according to Times Online.

Several media report China ready to let its climate measures be subject to outside verification.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters at a news conference that his government is open to "dialogue and cooperation that is not intrusive, that does not infringe on China's sovereignty."

Times Online quotes Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh as saying that Hillary Clinton's offer "demonstrates a seriousness on the part of the Americans to recognize that financing is a crucial element of climate change" and that the question of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emerging economy emissions is close to a solution.

"I'm sure that we will be able to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to this MRV, the MRV issue which the Americans are raising in relation to China, India, Brazil and South Africa. We have a 75 percent solution, we just need to find the 25 percent," Jairam Ramesh says.

Da UNFCC