Minister Urges Need To Change Commitments To Actions Ahead Of Key Climate Meet

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav urged that the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), be a landmark "COP of Adaptation" to turn global climate promises into real-world solutions.

COP30, scheduled for November 10-21 in Brazil's Belem, will gather world leaders and other stakeholders to discuss and make decisions on climate action, with a focus on advancing the Paris Agreement and key areas like climate finance, adaptation, and emissions reduction.

Speaking at the Pre-COP30 Ministerial Roundtable in Brasilia today, Yadav emphasised that COP30 must send a powerful message reaffirming multilateralism as the backbone of global climate action, a decade after it was adopted.

The Paris Agreement is a global pact adopted in 2015 to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius, through national climate commitments and cooperation. "The focus must be on transforming climate commitments into real-world actions that accelerate implementation and directly improve people's lives," Yadav said. 

Highlighting adaptation as a critical priority, the Minister urged all countries to agree on a minimum package of indicators from the UAE-Belem Work Programme and to adopt the Baku Adaptation Road Map. "We should send an inspiring message to the world that we are on the way to ensuring the safety and well-being of billions, leaving no one behind," he added.

Yadav emphasised the need for a significant increase in public finance for adaptation, noting that such funding could catalyse additional resources from other sources. He cautioned against undermining the Paris Agreement's architecture with new post-Global Stocktake (GST) mechanisms, advocating instead for actions informed by the first GST and aligned with national circumstances. "Let us do our utmost as per our national circumstances," he urged, reinforcing India's commitment to equitable and practical climate action.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, Yadav affirmed that India seeks to be part of the solution, not the problem. 

He highlighted India's leadership in global initiatives, such as the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and International Big Cat Alliance, which embody cooperative and action-oriented multilateralism. "Let COP30 in Belem reaffirm faith in multilateralism, equity, and collective resolve to deliver real, measurable action for people and the planet," the minister concluded.

Yadav's remarks come as India prepares to submit its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) ahead of COP30.