The Rise of BASIC

Copenhagen climate summit made a beginning. However, it was great news for the media to point out what in store for the interests of the 193 nations who for the past two weeks discussed on how to have a better climate management practice in place. Though, the summits during the course of discussion were seen as the tug of war of between the developed countries and the developing nations, there’s a point that was made by U.S.

The Rise of BASIC – Brazil, United States of America, South Africa, India & China., which clearly embodies the importance of the key developing powers of the world. Well, what happened to Russia part of BRIC to be dropped down would be an interesting topic to discuss? But it’s clear that without any representation or consent from these powerful developing countries, the Copenhagen summit cannot make a progress. This lead to the evolution of BASIC.

The main point of action in the accord is to aim to cap the rising global temperature to a maximum of 2 degree Celsius by the end of the century. And the sweetener is that $100 billion in annual aid to the developing nations toward this climate control mechanisms from 2020.The accord agreed by the 26 countries including the BASIC makes a new beginning towards a common goal. The best thing to appreciate of this summit is that, the nations of this planet are united for a common goal.
However, getting into the BASIC of these BASIC brings a lot of clearly vested interests and agenda behind it.

1. The EU + Russia have failed to rise to this accord. This might mean that, they would prove a point of synergy between them by working towards a European standard for the climate control which would, well come in the future roadmap for the summit.

2. India and China stood united towards the enforcement of any stipulations of immediate effect on the developing countries. Their point is well taken with respect to the aspect that the developed countries should work towards far more with respect to the control of emissions compared to the developing countries.

3. Though, Copenhagen missed with respect to working towards a concrete point, it achieved a common goal of finalizing those plans by 2010 in Mexico.

4. The Copenhagen summit however is creating a new roadmap and is moving away from Kyoto protocol. The Kyoto protocol does force on the emission and control of green house gases, it didn’t stand as unifying point. As said by our PM Mr. Manmonhan Singh, the protocol should follow a common but differentiated responsibility, seems to have becoming as a practical point via Copenhagen summit.

5. United States of America, the main partner of interest whose revenues in terms of exports and imports with the developing nations, seems to have understood, where it would be if it’s not part of the BRIC. Thus, it played the game tactfully and led to the creation of BASIC, which seems to have governed the Copenhagen summit to start a new beginning.

One of the key points of discussion is the burial of the greenhouse gases in the forests seems to have been accepted a good proposition. However, the means and the where withal of these has to be clearly worked out. But the missing plan of action was the way and means the renewable resources of the energy can be capitalized. Like the Wind energy etc. However, if the assumptions is not on the lines of the economic and business interests of EU versus US has the former has the maximum wind fields and generation, while the latter has the technology for the burial of the green house gases, the Copenhagen summit has really gone in the way as any other large meetings with common agenda. The thing to appreciate is all the Premiers of the nations have understood the grave danger of the climate issue and took notice of where we stand and where we need to move forward.

As rightly said by the foreign minister of China, Mr. Yang “Copenhagen conference is not a destination. But a beginning”. Believe it creates a brave new world.