India at COP: Advocates equity, seeks stronger role from developed nations

Stressing India’s firm conviction in anchoring climate action on principles of equity and climate justice, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav emphasised at the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) that these vital foundations can only be secured when developed countries assume a leading role in combating climate change.

“India firmly believes that equity and climate justice must be the basis of global climate action. This can be ensured only when the developed countries take the lead in ambitious climate action,” Yadav said while delivering the country’s national statement in Dubai.

While highlighting India’s contribution, Yadav said that New Delhi reduced its GDP emission intensity by 33 per cent between 2005 and 2019, achieving the target 11 years in advance.

India, along with others whose economies heavily depend on fossil fuels, advocate for a stance asserting that wealthier nations bear a greater responsibility in climate action. This assertion is grounded in the fact that affluent countries have historically emitted higher levels of climate-warming gases since the onset of the industrial revolution.

Since India announced its net-zero target year of 2070 at the Glasgow COP26, expectations are riding high on the country to champion green growth. While India has committed to ambitious targets of green energy deployment across sectors, it has not given any expiry date for fossil fuel production and usage.

This was the first global stocktaking of the Paris Agreement, which was adopted at COP21 in 2015. Under the agreement, world leaders agreed to recalibrate their climate action plans to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement marked out 2023 as a global stocktaking year.

Yadav also said that India looks forward to the Global Stocktake outcome for providing meaningful and relevant inputs for deciding enhanced climate action.

Calling the ongoing climate negotiations as a ‘COP28 of action’, Yadav said it was evident on the first day of the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

During the initial stages of the two-week COP28 conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India delivered a speech, extending an invitation to host the COP33 discussions in the year 2028.

PM Modi also announced a Green Credit Program (GCP) initiative, under which participants undertaking environmentally positive actions will receive tradable green credits.