The EU’s controversial decision to include aviation
under the bloc’s emissions trading system (ETS) has been dubbed a “deal
breaker” for global climate talks by India’s environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan. While the
minister is India’s lead negotiator at the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) talks, it is not clear if her comments reflect official
government policy.
Several countries - including EU member state
France - have expressed concern over the new aviation rule in the EU’s ETS, with
India and China leading international resistance by forbidding their airlines
from complying with the new standards. The Asian manufacturing giants say that
the aviation scheme overreaches Brussels’ jurisdiction and represents a
unilateral trade levy disguised as an attempt to fight climate change.
While international criticism has been growing
steadily since late last year, Natarajan’s remarks
are the first public comments from a major official to suggest the scheme could
influence negotiations at global climate talks.
India played a prominent role in influencing the
outcome of last December’s Conference of the Parties in Durban, South Africa.
With a handful of developing countries resisting the language of the draft text
in the final hours of the Durban meet, Natarajan made
an emotional plea to not be asked to “sign away the rights of 1.2 billion
people and many other people in the developing world” by agreeing to something
that could limit their ability to grow their economy.
Climate negotiators are poised to meet again in
Bonn, Germany at the UNFCCC’s annual mid-year
conference. The 14-25 May
meeting is the first major climate change meeting to follow Durban. It is not
yet known what role, if any, the EU’s aviation law will play in the
negotiations.