Bengaluru: On Tuesday (August 19), environment and climate ministers of BRICS nations opposed the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), calling it “punitive, discriminatory and protectionist”. The joint statement issued by the BRICS bloc at the conclusion of the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting on August 18 in New Delhi also stressed on the importance of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change.CBAM is ‘discriminatory’In a joint statement issued after the conclusion of the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers’ Meeting on August 18, the BRICS Environment Working Group said:“We oppose unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures that are not in line with international law, such as carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM), and express concern that such measures undermine efforts by countries, specifically the developing countries aimed at addressing the adverse impacts of climate change, increasing adaptive capacity and resilience,” the statement read.The BRICS bloc comprises a group of 11 major emerging economies and developing countries including India and Brazil.The CBAM is a kind of carbon tax that the EU imposes on imported products such as iron, steel, cement and fertilisers, that produce high emissions during their manufacturing. As part of this tax, the importer has to purchase certificates to compensate for the emissions produced in the manufacturing or production of these goods. The tax has been operational from January 2026. If importers do not comply with this, they will have to forgo free allowances that the EU offers for these products.Many developing countries including India have raised concerns about the CBAM in recent times. The concern is that these carbon costs will have to be borne by the developing countries where the products are being manufactured and imported from, while developed countries have already contributed more than their share of emissions globally. India is among the top countries from where the EU imports such products and there are concerns about how this tax will affect the economy.At the UNFCCC’s last Conference of Parties (COP30), India had expressed displeasure about unilateral trade measures such as the CBAM. In statements that India delivered on behalf of BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) and the Like-Minded Developing Countries group at the Opening Plenary of the COP in Belém, Brazil, India had said that “unilateral climate-related trade measures risk becoming instruments of protectionism” and run against the spirit of the climate change Convention, as The Wire had reported.Importance of common but differentiated responsibilitiesThe joint statement also stressed on the importance of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) in the light of different national circumstances, and nationally-determined just transitions and balanced mitigation and adaptation actions to effectively implement the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change.“We underscore our commitment to address climate change in line with principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, including its principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC). We recognise that inadequate adaptation action can increase risks of loss and damage, particularly for developing countries that face disproportionate and compounding risks despite minimal historical responsibility,” the statement said.This reflects the shared stands of several developing countries that developed countries – which have already consumed a large part of the international carbon budget and have been the highest historical emitters of carbon dioxide – should also take responsibility for their historical emissions.Apart from highlighting concerns about forest fires and the importance of the circular economy, the joint statement also listed eight “voluntary, non-prescriptive and non-exhaustive” principles identified by the BRICS Contact Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, including the implementation of people-centric and community-based approaches to climate change adaptation and the integration of traditional, indigenous, local and scientific knowledge in this, and the importance of ecosystem-based adaptation across key sectors – but in accordance with different national circumstances and priorities.“Adaptation efforts should promote ecosystem-based approaches informed by traditional, indigenous and local knowledge across key climate sensitive ecosystems, including most vulnerable regions, and across various socio-economic sectors, that impact lives and livelihoods in accordance with different national circumstances and priorities. Such approaches should strengthen ecological integrity while enhancing adaptive capacity of communities and production systems in a context-specific and integrated manner, with a view to integrating adaptation into relevant socioeconomic and environmental policies and actions, where appropriate,” the statement read.