29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change

The BASIC Group is a coalition of countries for India, Brazil, South Africa, and China. In Beijing, the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meeting was held on Oct 25 and 26, 2019. The four ministers met to discuss their plans at the 29th BASIC Ministerial meeting in Beijing, China. The Ministers signed a Joint Communiqué to show their commitment and support of strong action on climate change. The agreement aimed to add more pressure to slow global temperature rise. The article discusses the significance of the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change in brief.

Climate Change Issue

Climate change has been an international issue for many years now. The problem first came to light in the 1990s when scientists from across the globe started noting increased temperatures at a much faster rate than normal. Since then, the problem has become more severe with each passing year. Due to this climate change, some places suffer from floods and droughts while others are experiencing unusually hot weather. In addition to this, the melting of polar ice caps has raised sea levels and left many coastal areas flooded. Currently, climate change is destroying millions of animals and plants worldwide every year. This means that world citizens are losing their habitats and living areas, thus leaving wildlife in a state where they face an ever-increasing risk of extinction. Another problem that is affecting the global environment is rising sea levels. It has risen by 20 centimetres since 1900 and is predicted to rise by between 66 and 108 centimetres by 2100 in some parts of the world. So far, there have been between 20,000 to 34,000 species of animals and plants becoming extinct each year due to climate change. Therefore, big countries must work together so that the world can become a better place for future generations to live in.

Key Points of the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change

• It was decided to continue pursuing the issues related to the work of the Commission on Climate Change (CCC) and other subsidiary bodies of UNFCCC before and after 2020.
• It was decided that a task force will be set up for coordinating research with regard to climate change and sustainable development as agreed in Doha and Lima ADP sessions.
• It was decided to strengthen cooperation among the four BASIC countries in developing their resilience to climate change.
• It was decided that the Secretariat of BASIC will be fully funded for a period of 10 years.
• It was decided that BASIC will continue its efforts to strengthen coordination with concerned international and regional bodies on climate change issues in consultation with the Secretariat of WMO, which is the secretariat of UNFCCC.
• It was decided that BASIC countries will continue their efforts to facilitate the signature and ratification of the Doha Amendment as well as develop national mechanisms for effective implementation of the Kyoto Protocol (2013–2020) as per decisions taken in Doha.
• It was decided that the priority activities of BASIC will include capacity-building, technology development and transfer, sustainable finance, and South-South cooperation.
• It was decided that the BASIC countries will further intensify their efforts to promote South-South cooperation and climate change issues within the framework of BRICS and SCO.
• It was decided that BASIC will continue to work with the international community for an urgent, equitable, ambitious, durable, transparent, and inclusive agreement under the UNFCCC.

The Significance of 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change

The following are some of the reasons that show the significance of the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change and make such a good example for future meetings. 

• It brings together four large developing countries. 
• The four countries have been working towards lowering global temperatures and saving the environment. This is because they know that if they join forces, they will be more effective in what they do and make more progress than when they were alone. 
• They have real-time data and information on the effects of climate change to make efficient and effective decisions. 
• The significance of the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change meeting can be measured by the fact that it took place less than a month after the U.S had left the Paris Agreement; therefore, it showed other countries were ready to take up the slack and work together to protect their citizens and future generations from climate change.

Conclusion

This meeting has opened the world up for more progress in fighting climate change. It has also raised the importance of climate change as a national and international issue. The significance of the 29th BASIC Ministerial Meet On Climate Change is high because it came less than a month after the U.S. had left the Paris Agreement. Therefore, it showed there were other countries ready to take up the slack and work together to protect their citizens and future generations from climate change. India has offered to host the 30th BASIC ministerial meet.