India, which ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change in less than a year from its adoption, has taken more than four years to sign off on the Second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to ratify the second commitment period.

India’s decision to ratify the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which ushered in the second commitment period starting 2013 until 2020, is strictly a political move, sources closely linked to the development said.

Sanjay Vashist, Director of the Climate Action Network South Asia, said while India has been asking developed countries to honour their pre-2020 commitments. Ratifying the agreement, even though under it India does not have any binding targets, would give the country more bargaining power, he explained.

The ratification of the Doha amendment by India now is expected to give India a stronger footing to revive demand for equity and climate justice in the negotiations for the Paris deal that would start next year. The Paris agreement would come into force in 2020, when the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end.

Under the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol only 37 countries have binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, of which only seven have ratified. Under the agreement developing countries are not required to curb emissions.

Further, while a total 144 parties need to ratify the amendment to bring it to force, until December 29, 2016, only 75 countries had ratified it.

“Countries such as the US and Canada, which have been asking us to ramp up our ambitions and emission targets under the agreement (Paris climate deal) have not done anything until now.

“The Kyoto Protocol recognised the historic emissions, which is why it had binding targets for developed countries, and required them to give finances and technology to developing countries. They have not honoured their commitments,” a senior official said.

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