NEW DELHI: BRICS nations, including India, China, Russia, South Africa, Brazil and others, on Tuesday opposed the European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and any other such trade barriers, calling them “unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures”.CBAM, which entered its operational regime on January 1, is a tool to put a price, through imposing a border tax, on carbon-intensive goods, like iron and steel, aluminium and cement, that are entering the 27 EU nations.India opposed the proposal from the time it was conceived, arguing that the unilateral move placed an additional burden on businesses in developing economies due to embedded emissions in their products.“We oppose unilateral, punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures that are not in line with international law, such as 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,” said BRICS nations’ joint ministerial statement (JMS) adopted unanimously at the conclusion of the group’s 12th environment ministers’ meeting here.Delivering his keynote address at the meeting, held under India’s BRICS chairship 2026, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted the growing global environmental challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and disaster risks, and called for stronger cooperation among 11 member countries of the group on forest fire prevention, preparedness, early warning, response and post-fire recovery.The meeting unveiled four knowledge compendiums prepared by the BRICS Environment Working Group, reflecting leading practices, knowledge systems and innovations among the member countries.The countries also adopted four outcome documents, including terms of reference for a network of BRICS institutions to advance knowledge sharing, research and innovation in sustainable lifestyles, and integrated landscape management for combating desertification.
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Besides Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, other members of the group are Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia. These countries, put together, account for 40% of global GDP. Ministers or heads of delegations of all member countries, except Saudi Arabia, attended the ministerial meeting.
