Compromise and accommodation are the two essential policies required by states to save planet Earth. Substantiate the statement in the light of the ongoing negotiations between the North and South on environmental issues.

Yes, this is very much necessary that the states should adopt a policy of compromise and accommodation to save planet Earth. There have been a difference in the approach to environment between the countries of the North and the South i.e., between the developed countries and the developing countries. However, at the Rio Summit in 1992, the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ was accepted. The Rio Declaration states that ‘States shall cooperate in the spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem’. In 1992, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has also emphasised that the states should act to protect the climate system ‘on the basis of equity’ and the largest share should be borne by the developed countries. At Kyoto Protocol, China and India were exempted from its requirements. Thus, policies of compromise and accommodation have been followed to save planet Earth.