The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has adopted a declaration that says openly that fossil fuels will still play an important role in the world’s energy mix, particularly for emerging markets and developing economies. It reaffirms the Paris Agreement, including mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and equity, underscores nationally determined just transitions, and asks the developed countries for additional, adequate, predictable and accessible finance along with technology transfer for adaptation.
On the European Union’s carbon border tax the bloc is right, and says so without hedging: unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist, and not in line with international law.
Then read who is signing. Four of the world’s five largest coal consumers are BRICS members, China, India, Indonesia and Russia, the United States being the only outsider in that five. All of them have expanded renewables fast, and coal remains one of their largest sources of electricity.
A declaration written by the two largest emitters on earth is expected to defend policy space. What it carries is no number, no date and no obligation.
