ABSTRACT
India’s official position on climate change as reflected in international negotiations has often been seen as representing a consistent stance over the years, certainly till the Copenhagen Summit, based firmly on the principle that historical per capita emissions should form the basis for determining responsibility for the problem and for its amelioration. This strongly held position strengthened the foundation of the Kyoto architecture while also defending India’s interests and those of other developing countries which lay in recognition of their right to economic growth and, implicitly, growth in emissions while developed countries reduced their clearly excessive emissions. According to this narrative, India abruptly committed to emissions mitigation in the run-up to and at Copenhagen, and changed its position in other ways too, even as developed nations also suddenly started diluting their commitments.
