Dr. Arvind Kumar*
A landmark deal to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries pay for the irreversible impacts of climate disaster was agreed on the first day of the Cop28 UN summit. Host country UAE and Germany both pledged $100m (£79m) to the loss and damage startup fund, which will aim to keep up with the rising costs caused by extreme weather and slow-onset disasters such as sea level rise, ocean acidification and melting glaciers. There may still be an entire month to go in 2023 but the United Nations has announced on that 2023 is set to be has been the warmest on record as per a provisional report from the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is confirmed that it is set to be the warmest on record, with global temperatures rising 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, according to new climate data, and U.N. chief António Guterres called on leaders who are there to keep us out of deep trouble.
“We do not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century. Over the past century, a small section of humanity has indiscriminately exploited nature. However, entire humanity is paying the price for this, especially people living in the global south.” said Prime Minister Modi rebuking global north as historical emitters at the leaders’ summit where world leaders have gathered for the COP28 conference which opened in Dubai on 30th November 2023.
PM Modi offered to host UNFCCC COP33 in India. PM Modi’s offer to host COP33 in five years is a diplomatic masterstroke, given the mood of the climate discussions in Dubai. India has hosted the UNFCCC COP once previously. COP8 was held from October 23-November 1, 2002, in New Delhi. COP33, to be held in 2028, will be a critical summit. That is when the next round of global stocktake (GST) review, after the ongoing COP, is scheduled as per the 2015 Paris Agreement. The fact that the podium was offered to the prime minister is testimony to India’s changing geopolitical clout and linked to its long-standing economic partnership with the UAE. India takes credit for increasing the global finance commitments to reach trillions from billions. Can India’s initiatives be a role model for the world to replicate?
India a model?
India’s Green Credit Initiative that was set into motion in October this year is a pro-planet, proactive initiative on green credits, a mass campaign that goes beyond the commercial mindset associated with carbon credits; it focuses on creating sinks through public participation. The GCP, notified on October 13 this year, is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors by all stakeholders including individuals, communities and private sector industries. The Mission LiFE movement (Lifestyle for the Environment) has been hailed around the globe, as per an International Energy Agency study this approach can help us reduce carbon emissions by two billion tonnes annually by 2030. It was launched in 2022 before PM showcased it at COP26 in Glasgow.
India contributes less than four per cent to global carbon emissions while having 17 per cent of the world’s population and is one of the few countries on track to achieve its NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution). The NDCs are considered pivots to keep global emissions within a manageable limit. The Paris Agreement vouched to keep global temperature rise within 2 degree Celsius (°C), preferably 1.5°C, to minimise climate change-induced global impacts. But recent global reports indicate that the 1.5°C target is likely to be breached soon unless all countries start making more ambitious and deep carbon emission cuts.
The country has presented a fine model of balancing economy and ecology and had achieved its emission intensity reduction target 11 years before schedule while the non-fossil fuel target was achieved nine years before schedule and is not stopping at this. It aims to bring emission intensity down by 45 per cent, and increase the share of non-fossil fuel capacity to 50 per cent; and will achieve net zero by 2070 as pledged in COP 26. At India’s G20 presidency, climate change got high priority and a green development pact for a sustainable future could be stitched through consensus. It played a key role in tripling the renewable energy production globally, focused on hydrogen as an alternate fuel and launched the Global Biofuel Alliance.
We hail the COP proposal as significant but India has to walk the talk on its commitments and show actual leadership on the ground in cutting fossil fuels. India’s energy growth story can serve as a powerful example for the world and prime minister’s claims on the global platform need to have a link to realities back home. Global reports say India is one of the toppers in terms of climate risk, both in terms of mortality scale as well as financial loss. Huge populations in several states particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal are at the forefront of frequent climate disasters. But what are we doing at the national level to combat the trend? What is our national budget allocation in countering climate risk?
Way Ahead
With a record number of 80,000 registered participants, COP28 is the largest event of its kind to date. At last year’s COP27 in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, 49,000 people were accredited. According to official figures, 23,500 participants belong to national government delegations. There are also 27,208 experts from politics, science and various companies and associations who only have limited access to the official negotiations. The accreditation list also includes more than 14,000 members of NGOs, from environmental groups to industry lobbyists, as well as 4,000 journalists. For the first time, those accredited must declare who they work for. Diplomats from nearly 200 countries, and many heads of state and government, are meeting in Dubai for two weeks of United Nations climate talks to try to draft a plan to accelerate the global transition away from fossil fuels. Global efforts to address climate change were already clouded by bitterness and distrust among countries. Now, a widening gyre of conflict in the Middle East threatens to fracture an already divided world, raise oil and gas prices at a time of persistently high global inflation and direct financial resources to the business of fighting wars instead of the business of slowing down climate change.
However, there is a palpable concern that many of these commendable efforts may go to waste. The history of international agreements, particularly in climate forums like COP, shows that promises made by affluent nations are not always kept. The stark example of unfulfilled climate financing commitments by richer nations raises doubts about their willingness to honour their pledges. Are we destined to repeat the same cycle of promises and disappointments? Or can we finally turn international commitments into meaningful action? The grass may appear greener on the next climate summit, but it’s up to global citizens, policymakers, and the international community to ensure that this time, it’s not just an illusion. Unless the governments around the world stand by their commitments, we won’t see much of progress in solving for various global issues. This is where the need for stronger and resilient self-governance is needed to be demonstrated by the various global forums. Let’s all wait, watch and witness the unfolding of other deals and negotiations. The future of our planet depends on it.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
