New Delhi: With the impact of climate change becoming more frequent worldwide, India has urged countries to move beyond climate rhetoric and focus on implementing commitments on emissions reduction, adaptation and support for developing nations ahead of upcoming COP31 at Antalya, Turkiye.
Speaking at the Plenary Discussion on Political Landing Zones and Outcomes at the Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji on Thursday, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav called for greater flexibility, pragmatism and mutual respect among Parties to bridge remaining differences and secure ambitious and balanced outcomes at UNFCCC COP31. He stated that the intensifying impacts of climate change demand moving beyond rhetoric towards implementation and convergence.
Reflecting on discussions during the Pre-COP, Yadav said that the shared ground among Parties is "far greater than our divisions".
He highlighted broad convergence on remaining collectively anchored to the aspirational goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius; recognising that higher ambition requires proportionally higher commitments, particularly through scaled-up climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building; and shifting the collective focus decisively towards implementation.
India, he said, firmly believes that implementation must respect nationally determined pathways, allowing each country to transition according to its unique national circumstances and development imperatives.
The Minister stressed on the urgent need for innovative solutions and continued reforms to accelerate climate action. He stated that while global goals are shared, greater convergence is needed on approaches to achieving them.
"The time has come to demonstrate flexibility on all sides," he said, calling for optimisation of the tools already available under the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
Yadav further highlighted the inclusion of Article 9.1 on the provisional agenda as a vital formal opportunity to address the matching of finance to country needs, while emphasising the strategic use of Article 6 cooperative approaches to plug critical gaps in finance and other means of implementation and unlock market-driven resources for sustainable development.
The Union Minister said India expects COP31 to chart a definitive way forward to enhance engagement, technical cooperation and targeted support for building capabilities. He stated that India stands ready for open and transparent dialogue to resolve these issues in the run-up to COP31 to ensure "a balanced, equitable, and historic outcome" for the global community, particularly the most vulnerable. He further emphasised that climate multilateralism can be strengthened at COP31 through an inclusive, consultative and consensus-based approach.
"As we leave Fiji, our objective should be clear: to carry the constructive elements of these discussions into Antalya," he said.
The landing zone, he added, should be an outcome that is ambitious and balanced, advancing mitigation and adaptation while delivering the means of implementation that developing countries need. He also reaffirmed India's readiness to work with the Presidency, Chairs and all Parties towards this objective.
The Pre-COP is a preparatory meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference, which this year will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.