India reiterates call for climate action

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was in the UAE to participate in the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28). PM Modi has proposed holding COP 33 in 2028 in India.

PM Modi had called for supporting developing countries with adequate climate financing and technology transfer to enable them to deal with climate change. In an exclusive interview with Aletihad, PM Modi said, “India and the UAE stand as partners in shaping a greener and more prosperous future, and we remain steadfast in our joint efforts to influence the global discourse on climate action”, calling for supporting developing countries with adequate climate financing and technology transfer to enable them to deal with climate change.

As an earlier Livemint report pointed out, “Being a developing nation, India’s role at COP 28 summit remains crucial this year. India is among the top emitters of greenhouse gases. It also houses the world’s largest population. Therefore, it would be important for the country to remain ambitious (forward looking), at the same remain equitable. For India, the negotiations are going to be about give and take. India also expects a clear roadmap on climate financing during the COP28 meet.” At a press conference Indian foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra had said climate finance and climate technology are a very crucial segment of all the global efforts in addressing this challenge of environmental degradation. He added, “We expect a clear roadmap to be agreed at COP28 on climate finance which would be important for delivering on the new, collective, quantified goals.”

India should not take new commitments at the ongoing United Nations COP28 climate talks in Dubai and continue its green transition without additional assurances, the think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) had suggested, as per a Business Standard article. It highlighted that the GTRI had said that India has already made significant commitments at COP27 and the Paris Agreement, aligning with its Long-term Low Emissions and Development Strategy. India’s commitment to generating half of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 is noteworthy.

In a Natural Resources Defense Council Expert Blog, “Taking Climate Action Forward: India Key to Dubai Climate Talks”, the authors point out that India is poised to be one of four big economies – India, Indonesia, the UK, Switzerland – set to meet its Paris Agreement goals. Moving into COP28, India is demonstrating credible climate action and reiterating its position on common but differentiated responsibility and calling out the developed world to meet its promises on finance to encourage and enable it towards transition. India’s long-standing position on equity and historical responsibility is captured it its submission to the First Global Stocktake: “it is considered unfair if those who have contributed the most to the problem do not contribute more to the solution than those whose contribution is much smaller.” India reiterated its commitment to meet its climate pledges and underscored the developed countries’ climate finance commitments: jointly mobilize $100 billion from 2020 for developing countries and doubling contribution for adaptation finance…India has pushed for a New Collective Quantified Goal to cover mitigation, adaptation and mobilize the required funds, the authors said.

The blog also highlights that in 2023, India assumed the presidency of two major international forums – the G20 and the Clean Energy Ministerial – and consistently advocated for low-carbon transition solutions for Global South countries that balance development with emissions reductions. India championed the issue of energy access and energy efficiency during its G20 presidency, and the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration steered consensus around tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling the rate of energy efficiency globally, which are recognized as a major goal at this year’s COP agenda.

India has also launched the Global Biofuels Alliance with Brazil and the United States, which aims to bring together governments, international organizations and industry to facilitate the uptake of biofuels globally. India’s leadership at the climate talks will not only be consequential for its 1.4 billion inhabitants but will have a profound impact on the future of our planet.