* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The race for the U.N.'s top climate change post is heating up and there are calls for it to go to a candidate from a developing country. Costa Rica put its hat into the ring this week, nominating its lead climate change negotiator Christiana Figueres to succeed Yvo de Boer. Alongside South Africa, other frontrunners include India and Indonesia. Environmental journalist Pierre Fitter in Delhi weighs up his country's chances.
When the news broke that Yvo de Boer was standing down from his post at the head of the U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, India was the first country to offer up a candidate for the role.
The candidate is Vijay Sharma, India's environment secretary. According to local media, Jairam Ramesh, the country's environment minister, has said India has China's support for the bid. Sharma would "provide a bridge between developing and developed worlds," he added.
A bridge is just what is needed right now, as when it comes to climate change on a global stage there is a trust deficit in the negotiating room. De Boer, the outgoing U.N. climate chief, did a respectable job. His stewardship gave us the Bali road map and, to some extent, the Copenhagen Accord.
But attempts by rich countries last year to kill the Kyoto Protocol the only treaty that guarantees penalties if countries don't act to stop climate change angered developing countries.
Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen didn't help matters when he tried to bulldoze through the so-called "Danish draft" (an alternative global climate agreement) at the Copenhagen summit last December.
FIGHTING WESTERN LIMITS
Many Indians decry what they see as attempts by the rich Western world to keep us locked in a cycle of poverty: "Sorry, you can't use cheap coal like we did, but we're not going to give you the money or technology to clean up your act either."
They fear that if the West forces India to cut emissions, the increased costs of things like clean energy would bury us in debt.
Energy, clean or otherwise, is a highly contentious issue in India. Even thinking of increasing energy costs, for example, is tantamount to political suicide.
Just ask India's ruling United Progressive Alliance. The coalition government's proposed annual budget stands on shaky ground after a proposal to raise fuel prices by just a few rupees. With Indian wallets already struggling under the strain of food price inflation, there was a public outcry.
So when news broke that de Boer was stepping down, the Indian government saw it as a chance to get its voice heard. Jairam Ramesh has been reported in local media as saying Sharma's appointment would reflect "India's importance in climate change negotiations."
Sharma makes for an interesting political choice. Brazil, South Africa, India and China emerged as the single most powerful bloc in the Copenhagen climate change talks last December. South Africa has also nominated its own candidate, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk (a former environmental minister).
SHIFTING THE BALANCE
The hope is that by putting an Indian or South African candidate at the helm of the U.N.'s climate negotiations process, the balance would shift in favour of developing countries. While that's not entirely true (the executive secretary answers directly to Ban ki-Moon, not his or her home government) at least developing countries will get a sense of security that they will be heard.
The Indian media has not given the race as much coverage as you might expect, considering climate change is now a hot topic. Perhaps it is because they have low expectations for Sharma winning the race.
Ironically, China's support could end up being the major handicap. After all, both India and China are demanding the extension of the Kyoto protocol, which does not require them to cut any carbon emissions.
U.S. lawmakers believe this is an unfair deal, especially as China and India are now the largest and fourth-largest emitters of carbon, respectively. Having "their man" lead the negotiations and dictate terms to U.S. diplomats would not sit well in Washington.
The U.S. remains the 800-pound gorilla in the fight although its authority is now being challenged by the four 600-pound gorillas of the BASIC group. As secretary general of the U.N. and the man who will pick the next climate chief, Ban ki-Moon finds himself in the middle of the fight.
In order to keep both sides happy he will probably be forced to pick a compromise candidate. As a result, not many people in the Indian media believe the post will go to an Indian.
This blog was produced by the Climate Change Media Partnership.
