India is being unfairly blamed for the change of fossil fuel language in the COP26 pact, said government sources. Following pressure from India and China, there was a last-instead of ‘phase down coal’ instead of ‘phase-out coal’ earlier.

Government sources said that by focusing only on coal and not including oil and gas, the original text would disproportionately impact certain developing countries like China and India.

India’s stance has been that all fossil fuels must be phased down, in an equitable manner.

But an equitable fossil fuel phaseout would place most of the burden squarely on the US and rich countries. Instead, the COP26 text has heavy implications for developing countries like India and tons of loopholes for the continuation of US fossil fuel activities, sources said.

India’s objection to this inequity is being misconstrued as the country being an obstructionist, blocking the first-ever mention of fossil fuels, sources said, adding that it was the U.S. and China who first embraced the term “phase-down” in their bilateral climate agreement.

Before the final plenary, the US even signaled acceptance of the “phase-down” language that had been used in the joint statement with China, sources said.

India is the only country amongst G20 countries that is on track of achieving the goals fixed under the Paris Agreement, and it has not only complied with its own commitments but also protected the interest of least developed countries and strongly negotiated the interest of G77 countries to secure climate finance which COP26 has agreed to work upon for enhancing the same, sources said.

(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)