The Union Environment Minister has delivered the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries at the UN Climate Change Conference underway at Glasgow.

Who are the BASIC Countries?

• The BASIC countries (also Basic countries or BASIC) are a bloc of four large newly industrialized countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
• It was formed by an agreement on 28 November 2009.
• The four committed to act jointly at the Copenhagen climate summit, including a possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations.
• This emerging geopolitical alliance, initiated and led by China, then brokered the final Copenhagen Accord with the United States.

What is the Copenhagen Accord?

• The Copenhagen Accord is a document signed at COP 15 to the UNFCCC on 18 December 2009.
• The Accord states that global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).
• It does not specify what the baseline is for these temperature targets (e.g., relative to pre-industrial or 1990 temperatures).
• In January 2010, the Accord was described merely as a political agreement and not legally binding, as is argued by the US and Europe.
• It is not legally binding and does not commit countries to agree to a binding successor to the Kyoto Protocol, whose round ended in 2012.
• According to the UNFCCC, these targets are relative to pre-industrial temperatures.

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