COP28: Narendra Modi offers to host 2028 climate summit in India, urges stronger action

PM Modi at COP28

Ratcheting up India’s climate diplomacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 1 offered to host the UN climate summit in the country in 2028, while urging world leaders to boost action to rein in planet-warming emissions that he said requires a unified global response.

“Today, India has presented an excellent example of the balance between ecology and economy before the world,” Modi said at a high-level segment for heads of states and governments during the UN climate conference in Dubai. “India is committed to the UN Framework for Climate Change and that is why I propose from this stage that COP33 summit in 2028 be hosted in India.”

Modi made a strong pitch to global leaders for higher climate action, pointing out that India is on track to meet its commitments towards the 2021 Paris pact and would likely exceed them by a wide margin. Although India is home to 17 percent of the world’s population, its contribution to global carbon emissions is less than 4 percent, Modi said at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the UNFCCC.

“India is one of those few economies of the world that is on the path to meet NDC targets,” he said, referring to the nationally determined commitments mandated by the 2015 Paris Agreement that aims to keep global temperature rise to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial times and make efforts to keep it within 1.5 degrees.

The time has also come for the global community to mobilize mass public participation to rein in greenhouse gases, Modi said, pointing to India’s initiative work on green development pacts. “We also decided on the principles of the Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) initiative,” he said.

Modi had proposed the LiFE initiative at the 2021 Glasgow summit that has since wider traction among nations.

The Prime Minister also detailed out India’s action on climate change. The country is on track to bring down emissions intensity by 45 percent by 2030, he said. “We have decided to increase the share of non-fossil fuel to 50 percent,” Modi said. “We will also keep going ahead towards our goal of net-zero by 2070.”

Modi, along with other world leaders, is on a visit to Dubai for the COP28 World Climate Action meeting. The other leaders included British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen. Modi had earlier attended the World Climate Action Summit in Paris in 2015 and Glasgow in 2021.

Modi in his speech also reaffirmed India’s commitment to renewable energy. “On a global level, India also showed commitment to triple renewable energy," he said. The goal of tripling renewable energy capacity has also found mention in the New Delhi Declaration by the G20 countries earlier this year under India’s presidency.

“India's progress in renewable energy serves as a powerful example for the world. Its commitment at COP28 to tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 is not just a national triumph but a source of global inspiration,” said Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy at Climate Action Network International, a collective of non-profits. “With over 80 percent of its green investments being domestic, it showcases India’s determination and capacity.”

Modi was received by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres at the venue of the climate summit.

The UAE, which holds the presidency of the climate meet this year, has already succeeded to make the loss and damage fund for developing nations operational on the first day of the meet that continues till December 12. The fund is aimed at giving financial help to nations recovering from climate disasters and will be used to grapple with other climate-related emergencies.

Modi also floated the idea of green credits at the global forum, saying that the international community must move beyond carbon credits by mobilizing mass public participation in measures that put the brakes on carbon emissions. Efforts should be made to provide incentives to individual and collective action to boost carbon sinks, the Prime Minister said.

“The green credit scheme is another big announcement from India,” said Vaibhav Chaturvedi, fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank. “In India, the scheme is already targeting sectors beyond the forestry sector, like water conservation. If green credits are traded across borders, it could lead to phenomenal global action to enhance carbon sinks.”