Bengaluru: Global ambition is inadequate when it comes to climate action, and developed countries have “disproportionately appropriated the global carbon budget” while they continue to take “decisive climate action”, India remarked on the second day of the Leaders’ Summit at Belém, Brazil, on Friday, November 7. The summit is part of the 30th Conference of Parties (COP) – an annual climate change conference organised by the United Nations.

In its statement, India also asserted that it is committed to multilateralism and is ready to collaborate with nations to implement solutions and transition to sustainability in ways that are “ambitious, inclusive, fair and equitable”.

‘Crucial milestone’

Dinesh Bhatia, Indian ambassador to Brazil, delivered India’s statement at the COP summit on the evening of November 7. Calling COP30 a “crucial milestone” as it marks 10 years of the Paris Agreement, Bhatia said that this was an opportunity to “reflect on our response to the challenge of global warming”.

“It is also an opportunity to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the Rio Summit, where the UNFCCC convention principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities, and respective capabilities were adopted laying the foundation for the international climate regime including the Paris Agreement that continues to drive climate action,” he said.

He went on to list the steps taken by India to tackle climate change, such as cutting down its emissions intensity as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are voluntary targets towards climate action set by nations to decrease the impacts of climate change. Bhatia added that India has met its climate targets ahead of schedule.

“Over the past decade, India has consistently striven to drive its development along a low-carbon pathway… Between 2005 and 2020 we reduced the emissions intensity of GDP by 36% and this trend continues,” Bhatia said. “Non-fossil power installed capacity now accounts for over 50% of our total installed capacity enabling us to reach our revised NDC target five years ahead of schedule.”

However, as per Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific project that tracks government climate action and measures it against the globally agreed Paris Agreement’s aim of keeping global warming well below 2°C and limiting it to 1.5°C, India’s overall rating when it comes to climate action is “highly insufficient”, as of September 24 this year. 

Though India has recently reached its NDC target of 50% non-fossil capacity five years early, fossil fuels still dominate India’s energy sources. This, along with a lack of a “clear plan for a transition away from fossil fuels”, India’s current policies are “insufficient”, the CAT specifies.

Incidentally, India has also missed submitting its updated NDC under the Paris Agreement this year.

Forest cover has risen, says India

In his statement, Bhatia also added that India has “not only conserved but also expanded” its forest and tree cover, which now stands at 25.17% of the country’s total geographic area. This is the third highest annual net gain as per the FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, he said. 

While this report by the FAO indeed ranks India third among the top 10 countries for annual net gain in forest area between 2015–2025, the report relies on data provided by a network of government-nominated ‘national correspondents’. 

Also read: World Leaders to Rally Climate Fight Ahead of Amazon COP

The data that Bhatia presented at the statement – India’s forest cover spanning 25.17% of the country’s geographical area, at 8,27,357 square kilometres – is also a figure endorsed by the government through its India State of Forest Report 2023. The report is the most recent update of India’s forest cover, carbon stock and biomass. 

Released by the government-run Forest Survey of India (FSI) in December 2024, the report, like several of its iterations before it, has come under fire for its methodology: it counts monocultures and plantations as forests, for instance. This and other flawed methods could be the reason why India’s forest cover showed gains, experts have told The Wire.  

Bhatia added that with around 200 gigawatts of installed renewable energy, India is the third largest producer of renewable energy now and green energy projects including biofuels are transforming this energy landscape.

Earlier in the day at the summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the world is in the midst of a “renewables revolution.”

“Last year, 90 per cent of new power capacity came from renewables,” he said. “Clean energy is now the cheapest source of new electricity almost everywhere - and creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels.”

“The fossil fuel age is ending,” he also added. “The clean energy future is rising. Let’s make the transition fair, fast and final.”

‘Global ambition inadequate’

Delivering India’s statement at the Summit on November 7, Bhatia said: “Ten years after the Paris Agreement, global ambition remains inadequate, many nations’ NDCs fall short, while developing countries continue to take decisive climate action.”

He added that developed countries had “disproportionately appropriated the global carbon budget” and must accelerate emission reductions. Updated annually, the global carbon budget tracks global carbon emissions and sinks, and uses this data to specify a fair and equitable ‘carbon budget’ that each country can use up given specific climate targets.

“Given the rapid depletion of the remaining meager carbon budget, developed countries must reach net-zero much sooner than they have declared and invest substantially in reaching net negative emissions,” Bhatia said.

Implementing both mitigation and adaptation actions to address climate risks and vulnerabilities at the local level is crucial especially for developing nations. For developing countries like India, access to affordable finance, technology and capacity building is vital to implement ambitious NDCs, he added.

As India reaffirms its commitment to multilateralism, and towards preserving and safeguarding the architecture of the Paris Agreement, Bhatia said: “As a firm believer in climate action, we stand ready to collaborate with all nations to implement solutions and transition to sustainability in ways that are ambitious, inclusive, fair and equitable.”

“Finally, together let us ensure that the next decade of climate action is defined not only by targets, but by implementation, resilience and shared responsibility, based on mutual trust and fairness,” he added.

India to join TFFF as observer

Bhatia also announced that India “welcomes and supports” Brazil's initiative in establishing the Tropical Forests Forever Facility. The facility represents “a significant step towards collective and sustained global actions for the preservation of tropical forests” and India will join it as an observer, Bhatia announced.

Brazil announced the Tropical Forests Forever Facility initiative on November 6, the first day of the COP30 Leaders’ Summit. It aims to create a USD 125 billion fund that will pay a share of profits to developing countries for every hectare of forest that remains protected. 

It also has a market-based mechanism: private investors will receive a return from funds invested mainly in emerging market bonds.

So far, over USD 5 billion has been pledged to the fund.

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