The quartet proved to be one of the most influential groups
during the summit. Greenpeace believes the challenge they face is
to demonstrate they can achieve substantial international progress
in combating climate change. With 41% of the world's population,
11% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and accounting for 30%
of global greenhouse gas emissions, the four nations have a major
responsibility to lead the world in finding solutions to the
climate crisis.
"The BASIC four cannot simply act like the United States and
other industrialised nations have done in the recent past in
looking at the climate problem solely from their own national
perspectives," said Siddharth Pathak, Climate and Energy Policy
Officer at Greenpeace India. "BASIC will have to fill the vacuum of
leadership on climate left by the developed world and ensure a
global legally binding agreement is reached. The four nations must
also take into account the consequences of global warming for other
developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable," he
continued.
According to Greenpeace, the challenge for Brazil, China, India
and South Africa is to show they can be a positive and effective
force in moving work forward within the UN climate process. The
clearest indication of this would be for the BASIC group's New
Delhi meeting to set a goal of getting international agreement on a
fair, ambitious and legally binding climate change deal by the next
major UN climate conference in Mexico, in late November.
Besides playing a more progressive role in international climate
talks, the BASIC countries must also take the lead in setting their
national economies on low-carbon pathways and setting examples of
climate-friendly development for other developing nations. Beyond
that, the four emerging global economic powers should recognise
they have much to offer poorer nations in terms of financing and
technology transfer to help in adapting to global warming.
During frenzied talks on the final night of last month's failed
climate summit, the BASIC group and the United States drew up the
so-called Copenhagen Accord. It remains as a political declaration,
having not been formally adopted by the Copenhagen conference. The
Accord's stated objective is to "hold the increase in global
temperature below 2°C".(1)
However, a confidential note from the UN climate Convention
secretariat shows that current commitments by all governments to
curb greenhouse gas emissions would mean average global temperature
rising more than 3°C compared to pre-industrial levels. This is far
beyond the 'safe' limit of well under a 2°C rise indicated by the
best available science.
"We are at a crossroads in international diplomacy that demands
a bolder and far more ambitious agenda," emphasised Kumi Naidoo,
Greenpeace International's Executive Director. "In addressing
climate change - the biggest threat facing humanity today - all
four members of the BASIC group have to live up to the
international roles they have taken upon themselves. Their focus
should be on closing the gap between the ambition to keep
temperature rise well below 2°C and the reality of current
emissions pledges."
In order to avoid catastrophic climate change, Greenpeace is
calling on industrialised countries to together cut their emissions
by 40% below their 1990 levels by 2020 and for developing nations
as a whole to reduce their projected growth in emissions by up to
30% over the same timescale. The BASIC grouping needs to play an
important role in achieving these targets.
Other contacts: Siddharth Pathak, Climate and Energy Policy Officer, Greenpeace India
Tel: +91 99 02 88 37 38
E-mail: 
Andrew Kerr, Communications Manager, Greenpeace International
Tel: +31 6 4619 7332
E-mail: 
Greenpeace International Press Desk
Tel: +31 20 718 2470
E-mail: 
Notes: (1) Copenhagen Accord, FCCC/CP/2009/L.9, 18 December 2009, paragraph 2.