Un Climate Talks

India played leadership role at COP30, achieved all goals: Bhupender Yadav

Terming the recently held UN COP30 climate summit a significant milestone in advancing equity and climate justice, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India has achieved all its major goals at the global negotiations and its positions are reflected in all major decisions. Yadav, who led the Indian delegation at the COP30 summit in Brazil, said the country successfully positioned itself as a leader of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) Group and the bloc of Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC). "COP30 is a significant milestone in advancing equity and climate justice. India took all its positions boldly, particularly on issues critical to developing countries. We are satisfied with the outcomes, especially the establishment of the Article 9.1 work programme," Yadav told PTI in an interview on India's achievements at the UN negotiations. India's concerns on climate finance, Unilateral Trade Measures (UTM), adaptation, technology and other agenda items were .

Indigenous people reflect on meaning of their participation in COP30 talks

Indigenous people filled the streets, paddled the waterways and protested at the heart of the venue to make their voices heard during the United Nations climate talks that were supposed to give them a voice like never before at the annual conference. As the talks, called COP30, concluded Saturday in Belem, Brazil, Indigenous people reflected on what the conference meant to them and whether they were heard. Brazilian leaders had high hopes that the summit, taking place in the Amazon, would empower the people who inhabit the land and protect the biodiversity of the world's largest rainforest, which helps stave off climate change as its trees absorb carbon pollution that heats the planet. Many Indigenous people who attended the talks felt strengthened by the solidarity with tribes from other countries and some appreciated small wins in the final outcome. But for many, the talks fell short on representation, ambition and true action on climate issues affecting Indigenous people. This w

UN COP30 unveils draft 'Belem package' as climate talks enter final phase

All eyes are on the Amazonian city of Belem in Brazil as the last leg of negotiations of the UN COP30 Climate Summit began on Tuesday with the release of the draft of the Belem Political Package, which is likely to show the world its next step to work on climate change. UN COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago in his letter to all the countries called them to work side by side, in task-force mode, to deliver the Belem Political Package swiftly, fairly and with care for all. The global platform on climate change expects that the draft texts for the package of decisions will be adopted on Wednesday after due deliberations. Negotiators from more than 190 countries have gathered here for the annual Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP30 summit is taking place at the Brazilian city of Belem in the Amazon region from November 10 to 21. The COP30 Presidency published 11 draft documents on various issues for detailed ...

UN climate change body mulls new document on fossil fuel by Oct 2026

As hectic deliberations marked the first week of the annual climate change summit, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago said the deliberations may come out with a new document on fossil fuel that is likely to present a roadmap for transition into a cleaner mode. However, there is a lack of in-depth data regarding fossil fuel and more information on the subject is needed before coming out with anything concrete, Lago told a press conference late Saturday night here. Although the fossil fuel roadmap is not in the formal agenda of COP30 Climate Summit here, it is being talked about by major parties after Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke about it in his opening statement. The roadmap does not need to be supportive or not supportive. It is a document... the COP30 has to present the roadmap, Lago said when asked if any roadmap is being discussed by the parties during the ongoing deliberations. Negotiators from more than 190 countries have gathered here for the annual ...

30 years of climate talks: Progress, pitfalls and a planet in peril

Global greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 34% since 1995

UN climate summit kicks off in Brazil's with hopes for action, US absent

World leaders descending on the United Nations annual climate summit in Brazil this week will not need to see much more than the view from their airplane window to sense the unfathomable stakes. Surrounding the coastal city of Belem is an emerald green carpet festooned with winding rivers. But the view also reveals barren plains: some 17 per cent of the Amazon's forest cover has vanished in the past 50 years, swallowed up for farmland, logging and mining. Often called the lungs of the world for its capacity to absorb vast quantities of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that warms the planet, the biodiverse Amazon rainforest has been increasingly choked by wildfires and cleared by cattle ranching. It is here on the edge of the world's largest tropical rainforest that Brazil's President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva hopes to convince world powers to mobilise enough funds to halt the ongoing destruction of climate-stabilizing tropical rainforests in danger around the world and make progress

India calls on COP30 to focus on lack of funds for developing nations

India has said the United Nations climate conference in Belm, Brazil, should focus on tackling the critical shortage of resources that developing countries need to adapt to climate change and curb greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing the Global Stock Take (GST) breakout session during the pre-COP30 meeting in Brasilia on Monday, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the time for continuous reviews without action has passed. "Dialogue is important, but action is imperative," he said. "We must now focus on implementing ambitious climate measures and, above all, addressing the most pressing challenge: the urgent lack of resources for developing countries to deliver adaptation and mitigation," Yadav said. The GST is a periodic review under the Paris Agreement 2015 that assesses the world's collective progress toward limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Held every five years, it examines countries' actions on mitigation, adaptation and finance and guides them to ...

Inaction worsened global climate crisis, says UN climate panel chief

Climate impacts are unfolding faster than expected and scientists have been surprised by the speed of temperature rise, the chief of the United Nations' climate science panel has said. In an interview with PTI, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chair Jim Skea said the world is in a worse situation than three years ago due to inaction on climate change. "If you look back over the last, say, five years or so, I think scientists have been surprised by the speed at which temperatures have risen globally and by the very obvious nature of climate impacts we have already seen... wildfires in some parts of the world, floods and more extreme events. "So, things do appear to be happening, perhaps more quickly than people expected," he told PTI. The year 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first with the global average temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the past decade (2015-2024) was the 10 .

Too little, too distant: India rejects $300 bn climate finance at COP29

India on Sunday rejected the new climate finance package of a meagre USD 300 billion annually by 2035 for the Global South at the UN climate conference here, calling it "too little and too distant". The USD 300 billion figure is a far cry from the USD 1.3 trillion the Global South has been demanding over the past three years of talks to tackle climate change. Making a statement on behalf of India, Chandni Raina, Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs, said they were not allowed to speak before the adoption of the deal, undermining their trust in the process. "In continuation of several such incidents of not following inclusivity, not respecting country positions... We had informed the presidency, we had informed the secretariat that we wanted to make a statement prior to any decision. However, this is for everyone to see, this has been stage-managed. We are extremely disappointed," she said. "The goal is too little, too distant," Raina said, asserting that it is set for 2035, whic

Rich nations offer $300 billion annually after 10 years to Global South

Developed countries made a final offer of USD 300 billion annually by 2035 to help developing countries tackle climate change, hours after two groups of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries stormed out of the negotiating room at COP29 here. The USD 300 billion figure, however, is a far cry from the USD 1.3 trillion the Global South has been demanding in the three years of talks. The offer is part of the draft deal on a new climate finance package for developing nations, or the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), which will be put before countries for approval in a plenary session shortly. The new amount will replace the USD 100 billion figure pledged in 2009. The draft deal also introduces the Baku to Belem Roadmap, an important request for Africa and other developing country groups to lay out a meaningful process towards aligning the global finance system with achieving the USD 1.3 trillion goal by 2035. Issued after tiring, mind-numbing negotiations that continued fo

COP29 gets Article 6 of Paris Agreement operational, opens carbon markets

Article 6 provides trusted and transparent carbon markets for countries as they collaborate to reach their climate goals

COP29 produces streamlined climate finance draft, but key issues remain

After an all-nighter, a draft text on the new climate finance package for the developing world finally dropped Thursday morning -- shrunk from 25 pages to 10, but the major sticking points remain. With less than two days left for the UN climate conference to close, negotiators face a gargantuan task to hammer it out. A quick glance at the text shows developed countries are still dodging a key question: How much climate finance are they ready to give developing countries every year starting in 2025? This has led to significant frustration among developing countries, who have repeatedly said they need at least USD 1.3 trillion to tackle the escalating challenges. "The revised draft text, while more streamlined, presents a spectrum of options -- some good, some bad, and some outright ugly," said Harjeet Singh, a climate activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. He said it acknowledges the need for public funds from developed ...

Developing nations demand upto $900 bn in public climate finance at COP29

Developing countries are asking for up to USD 900 billion in public funding from a total of USD 1.3 trillion they seek from developed nations in the new climate finance package for reducing emissions and adapting to the growing impacts of climate change. Negotiators told PTI that the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group has called for USD 600 billion in public funding, supplemented by private finance at concessional rates to meet the USD 1.3 trillion goal. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is pushing for USD 900 billion in government funding, while the Arab Group has proposed USD 440 billion. Although developed countries have yet to officially propose a figure, their negotiators indicated that European Union nations are discussing a global climate finance target of USD 200 billion to USD 300 billion per year. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra told reporters that developed countries want to ascertain the package's components before committing to a

Time runs down for negotiators at COP29 to find deal to curb global warming

With time running down, negotiators at the United Nations annual climate talks on Wednesday returned to the puzzle of finding an agreement to bring far more money for vulnerable nations to adapt than wealthier countries have shown they're willing to pay. Pressure was building to drive a deal by the time COP29, as this year's summit is known, concludes this week. COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev asked negotiators to clear away the technical part of talks by Wednesday afternoon so they can focus on substance. That substance is daunting. Vulnerable nations are seeking USD 1.3 trillion to deal with damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems. Experts agree that at least USD 1 trillion is called for, but both figures are far more than the developed world has so far offered. Half the world away in Rio, Brazil, where the Group of 20 summit was wrapping up on Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told

COP29: India asks rich nations to keep climate adaptation commitments

India has called on developed countries to step up their support for climate adaptation in developing countries, saying the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events is putting the survival of people, especially in poor nations, at risk. Speaking at a high-level ministerial dialogue on adaptation on Tuesday, India highlighted that the developing world is disproportionately suffering from the impacts of climate change, which are largely the result of historical emissions by developed countries. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are adversely affecting the lives and livelihood of those in the developing world, putting their very survival at risk, Indian negotiator Rajasree Ray said. India recalled that the UAE framework for global climate resilience adopted at COP28 last year emphasises the urgent need for enhanced support from developed countries. This mobilisation should go beyond the previous efforts, supporting the country driven ...

EU softens stand on major sticking point in Baku UN climate talks

The European Union on Monday urged "wealthier high-emitting" developing nations to voluntarily contribute to climate finance, signaling a shift from its earlier position that had stalled progress in the UN climate talks. Securing a new climate finance package to help developing countries reduce emissions and adapt to climate change is the top priority of this year's UN climate talks. Developing nations need at least USD 1.3 trillion annually to tackle worsening climate impacts. The EU and some developed countries argue that such a large sum can only be achieved if "wealthier high-emitting" developing nations, like China and Gulf states, also contribute. However, this proposal has been a major sticking point, as many developing countries view it as an attempt to shift responsibility away from those who historically benefited from industrialization. European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, suggested a compromise on Monday, proposing voluntary contributions from these

COP29: Talks in Baku make progress on climate funding as deadline nears

Distractions were bigger than deals in the first week of United Nations climate talks, leaving a lot to be done, especially on the main issue of money. In week one, not a lot of progress was made on the issue of how much money rich countries should pay to developed ones move away from dirty fuels, cope with rising seas and temperatures and pay for damage already caused by climate-driven extreme weather. But more is expected when government ministers fly in for week two to handle the hard political deal-making at the negotiations known as COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Countries remain about a trillion dollars a year apart in the big number to be settled. All the developing countries look very united behind USD 1.3 trillion. That's not a ceiling. That's what they want. That's what they think they need, said Debbie Hillier, policy lead at Mercy Corps. The U.S. and Canada are constantly talking about a floor of USD 100 billion.... So you've got USD 100 billion at one end and USD 1.3 ...

Protesters gear up for biggest day at UN climate talks amid slow progress

The United Nations climate talks neared the end of their first week on Saturday with negotiators still at work on how much wealthier nations will pay for developing countries to adapt to planetary warming. Meanwhile, activists planned actions on what is traditionally their biggest protest day during the two-week talks. The demonstration in Baku, Azerbaijan is expected to be echoed at sites around the world in a global day of action for climate justice that's become an annual event. Negotiators at COP29, as the talks are known, will return to a hoped-for deal that might be worth hundreds of billions of dollars to poorer nations. Many are in the Global South and already suffering the costly impacts of weather disasters fuelled by climate change. Several experts have said USD 1 trillion a year or more is needed both to compensate for such damages and to pay for a clean-energy transition that most countries can't afford on their own. The talks came in for criticism on several fronts .

A 34-page complex climate finance draft sparks concern in COP29 summit

An overly lengthy 34-page draft on a new climate finance goal emerged on the third day of the UN climate talks in Azerbaijan's Baku on Wednesday, but the text is filled with repetitions and duplications, making it difficult to work with. While it includes all the elements everyone wanted, there is growing concern as three days have already passed with little progress. Observers say all negotiating groups have now asked the co-facilitators to condense the document to make it more manageable. The G77 and China group requested the co-chairs to organise the draft text by themes and not add new ideas to it. There were three options for structuring the climate finance goal in the draft framework prepared in October by the co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Work Programme on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). The new draft now presents 13 sub-options too. The new finance text is expected to include the same options for the goal as the previous two drafts. One of the options is a specific dol

COP29: Experts call for $1 trn annual investment to fight climate change

At the COP29 climate summit, prominent voices in the climate action arena voiced a call for greater accountability, real climate finance, and transparent data from developed countries and called for USD 1 trillion per year in cross-border finance to developing countries. Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the President, Inter-American Development Bank from the Inter-American Development Bank, highlighted the enormous financial need for climate adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage. We need an NCQG (New Collective Quantified Goal) that is relevant to actual climate finance needs, he stated, calling for USD 1 trillion per year in cross-border finance to developing countries. Persaud also noted that transparency is critical to finance accountability, arguing that clear data on financial flows and impact is essential. He cautioned, however, that loss and damage finance should be grant-based and separate from adaptation and mitigation to ensure funds reach the m