Some of the big minefields that countries face at the upcoming COP23 Climate Change negotiations at Bonn:
In an earlier part of the curtain-raiser we tried to explain how the COP23 shall set the game for implementing Paris Agreement:
India: Premature to start talks at WTO on e-com: Commerce ministry
Premature to start talks at WTO on e-com: Commerce ministry
PTI | Nov 1, 2017, 19:57 IST
New
Delhi, Nov 1 () The commerce ministry today said it would be premature
to start negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on rules for
the e-commerce sector as the contours of this segment are still "in the
dark".
Joint
Secretary in the Department of Commerce Sudhanshu Pandey said that
India is focusing on making rules for domestic e-commerce players.
"Starting
negotiations on WTO rules in the e-commerce would be premature as the
contours of this space are still in the dark," industry body Ficci said
in a statement quoting Pandey.
The
official was speaking at an interactive session on 'E-Commerce, Digital
Infrastructure, Trade Rules and WTO'. It was organised by Ficci and the
Centre for WTO Studies.
The
remarks assume significance as developed countries including the US are
pushing for inclusion of new issues like investment facilitation and
e-commerce in the WTO's ministerial meeting to be held in Argentina in
December.
Pandey said several countries were eager to negotiate multilateral rules to govern global trade through e-commerce.
"Such
rules stand to hurt the interests of most developing countries,
including India. India needs to think whether it was prepared to take on
the obligations that would bind its stakeholders to an international
policy in a sector, which was still evolving," he added.
Since
July last year, around 24 papers have been submitted by different
countries to the WTO on e-commerce and nations like Japan have put out
highly ambitious papers, he said.
In such a scenario, Pandey said, India needs to safeguard its domestic market which is still small.
National
rule making for e-commerce is also a daunting task as there were many
issues that are overlapping in nature, he said, adding that different
departments are trying to address various issues to help formulate an
overarching national policy for e-commerce.
Ministry
of Electronics and Information Technology is working on a draft paper
on e-commerce, which will be put out for comments.
Speaking
at the event, Abhijit Das, Head, Centre for WTO Studies, said that
there are many challenges in starting the negotiations.
These,
he added, include data flow, servers, data localisation, transfer of
technology and mandatory sharing of telecom infrastructure and need
attention. RR CS SA
Joe C Mathew
Last Updated: November 1, 2017
Adani’s Australia Story: How a Massive Coal Mine is Sparking a New Wave of Environmental Concerns (https://thewire.us11.list-
Kabir Agarwal
The Carmichael Coal mine proposed by the Adani group, if built, would be
the largest in Australia, and among the largest in the world. 2.3
billion tonnes of coal would be extracted from the mine over its
lifetime, causing 4.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
According to estimates, the remaining global carbon budget to limit
global temperature rise below two degree celsius above pre-industrial
levels as agreed in the Paris climate agreement, is 850 gigatonnes of
carbon dioxide emissions. The Adani coal mine will, on its own, use up
0.53% of that budget. According to a 2014 report by Dr Chris Taylor and
Professor Malte Meinshausen submitted to the Land Court of Queensland
which was hearing objections to the granting of mining lease to Adani,
“The cumulative emissions related to this mine are amongst the highest
in the world for any individual project, and – to the knowledge of the
authors – the highest in the southern hemisphere”.
(https://thewire.us11.list-
In Rebuilding Kedarnath, a New Disaster in the Making
(https://thewire.us11.list-
------------------------------
Rohit Joshi
The devastating floods of June 2013 highlighted the need for sound planning and construction in the high-altitude terrain of the Himalayas. That lesson and concerns of geologists, however, are being ignored in its reconstruction. (https://thewire.us11.list-
------------------------------
Rohit Joshi
The devastating floods of June 2013 highlighted the need for sound planning and construction in the high-altitude terrain of the Himalayas. That lesson and concerns of geologists, however, are being ignored in its reconstruction. (https://thewire.us11.list-
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