Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav met with Andre Correa do Lago, the President of the upcoming 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), and his team in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting focused on critical agenda items for the global climate summit, which is scheduled to be held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Yadav stated that the discussions centered on three key areas:
- The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA): The GGA, established under the 2015 Paris Agreement, aims to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of countries to climate change. Negotiations have been ongoing to define specific targets and a framework to measure collective progress.
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): The status of NDCs was a central topic. NDCs are national climate action plans outlining each country’s efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change impacts. The current round of new or updated NDCs, with more ambitious targets for 2035, are due in 2025.
- COP30 Presidency plans: The meeting also covered the priorities and vision of the Brazilian Presidency for the conference. Brazil’s agenda, as outlined in a letter to the international community, focuses on reinforcing multilateralism, connecting the climate regime to people’s real lives, and accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Yadav reiterated India’s commitment to combating climate change through a “whole-of-government approach” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has previously stated that India’s climate actions must align with its national goal of becoming a developed country by 2047.
India’s Upcoming National Adaptation Plan (NAP)
A significant element of India’s climate action is the formulation of its first comprehensive National Adaptation Plan (NAP). This plan is designed to enhance the nation’s resilience to climate change by identifying medium- and long-term adaptation priorities and establishing policies to ensure climate-resilient planning and budgeting. Officials have indicated that India is expected to submit its NAP to the UNFCCC this year. The NAP aligns India’s national development priorities with its global climate commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.
The meeting also comes as the international community prepares for a high-level event on September 24, where countries are expected to announce their new NDCs. Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Climate Action, has invited heads of state to use this platform to announce their new commitments.
The ongoing discussions ahead of COP30 underscore the global push for more ambitious and integrated climate action, focusing on both emissions reduction and a robust adaptation framework to build resilience against the growing impacts of climate change.