COP28: PM Modi to pitch for accelerating climate finance

DUBAI: With international attention focused on curbing global warming, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to pitch for accelerating climate finance at the COP 28 global climate summit in Dubai on December 1. Besides addressing the World Climate Action Summit, PM Modi will be participating in three high-level side events, two of which are being co-hosted by India at the Conference of Parties (COP) 28 in UAE on December 1, 2023. India “expects a clear roadmap to be agreed upon at COP-28 on climate finance, which would be important for delivering on the new collective quantified goals (NCQG) at COP-29,” said India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatara ahead of COP28. PM Modi will also be participating in a high-level presidency exclusively focused on climate finance. He is also expected to pitch for the operationalization of the Loss and Damage fund, which aims to compensate developing countries suffering the consequences of the climate crisis despite having minimal contributions to it. The Fund was approved on Day 1 on the COP28 summit. Elaborating India’s approach, Mr Kwatara underline that New Delhi’s key priority will be help the rest of Global South in combating this serious challenge of climate change, as also its impact on the development framework of the developing countries. “India’s approach to climate action is deeply rooted in our civilizational ethos and is reflected foremost in our contributions and our ambitious and effective national policies, especially those which are aimed at economic development, energy, health and nutrition,” he said. India has pioneered a slew of global initiatives to combat climate change, which include the launch of the International Solar Alliance in COP in 2015, Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure and Infrastructure for Resilient Island States and Mission LiFE. India’s participation in COP28 is pivotal considering its position as a developing nation and one of the top emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. (Suhani Jaggi contributed inputs for this article)