The most significant achievement of the Durban Conference was to establish a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol,

which will begin on January 1, 2013 and end either on December 2017 or December 2020. The quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives (QELROs) for developed country Kyoto Protocol Parties will be determined during 2012. Durban also made significant progress in operationalization of Cancn agreements related to GCF and the Adaptation Framework. It was decided to confer legal personality and legal capacity to GCF and that the Fund will function under the guidance of COP. It was also decided to expeditiously operationalize the Fund for which Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNFCCC Secretariat have been asked to set up an interim Secretariat to support the GCF Board Significant progress was made towards operationalization of the Technology Mechanism and its components viz. Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and Technology Executive Committee (TEC), established at Cancun. The transparency arrangements agreed in Cancn were elaborated in Durban and the reporting guidelines for developed countries viz. Biennial Reports (BRs) and the developing countries viz. Biennial Update Reports (BURs) were adopted. It was ensured that the reporting and Measurable, Reportable and Verifiable (MRV) obligations for the developing countries are not more onerous than the developed country parties. A significant outcome in Durban was to launch a Durban Platform to discuss the post 2020 arrangements for global climate change regime. It was decided that the post 2020 arrangements would be finalized by 2015 and implemented from 2020. India played a crucial role in ensuring that the new arrangements are not limited to either a Protocol or a legal instrument but also include an option of an agreed outcome with a legal force under the Convention. Thus it was ensured that the outcome of negotiations to finalize the post 2020 arrangements is firmly rooted in the Convention and all its established principles including CBDR and Equity apply. A web-based registry was also agreed upon to be set up under the management of the UNFCCC Secretariat to serve as a platform for the developing countries to upload their Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for seeking international support or recognition of achievement of voluntary mitigation goals. Progress was made in Durban on issues relating to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and Sustainable Management of Forests (REDD+) with an agreement on guidance on systems for providing information about how safeguards are being addressed and respected and there was also agreement on modalities for forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels.

INDIA AND CLIMATE CHANGE

India and GHGs
Although India ranks among top five countries in terms of GHG emissions, its per capita emissions are much lower than those of the developed countries even if historical emissions are excluded. Its high level of emissions is due to its large population, geographical size, and economy. The most recent data available for India come from the assessment carried out by the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) in May

2010. The key results of the assessment are that total net GHG emissions from India in 2007 were 1727.71 million tons of CO2 equivalent (eq.), of which CO2 emissions were 1221.76 million tons, CH420.56 million tons, and N2O-0.24 million tons. In 1994, the total net GHG emissions for India were 1228.54 million tons of CO2 eq. This represents a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9 per cent during the period 1994 to 2007 (Table 12.4). GHG emissions from the energy, industry, agriculture, and waste sectors in 2007 constituted 58 per cent, 22 per cent, 17 per cent, and 3 per cent of net CO2 eq. emissions respectively. Indias per capita CO2 eq. emissions including land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) were 1.5 tons per capita in 2007.