India Urges 15-Fold Increase In Adaptation Finance As COP30 Opens In Belém

India flagged inadequate climate finance as the biggest hurdle for ambitious climate action, and urged a 15-fold increase in adaptation finance, as the year’s biggest annual climate conference—CoP30—opened in Belém, Brazil, on Monday.

Delivering a statement on behalf of the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) group and the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) grouping at the opening plenary, India called for a clear and universally agreed definition of climate finance. “There is a need to strengthen and scale-up public finance flows for adaptation, as well as the implementation of Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which reaffirms the legal obligation of developed countries to provide finance to developing countries,” it stated

on Tuesday.

India emphasised that adaptation is an urgent priority for billions of vulnerable people in developing countries who have contributed the least to global warming but stand to suffer the most from its impacts. The statement also asserted the need to scale the adaptation financing to nearly 15 times the current flows, highlighting the significant gaps which remain in doubling international public finance for adaptation by 2025.

EQUITY AND CLIMATE JUSTICE

Acknowledging the high geopolitical tensions, India also reiterated its full and unwavering support for multilateralism and international co-operation on climate action. Speaking for BASIC AND LMDC blocs, it also recalled the historical and ongoing responsibility of developed nations, and stressed that developed countries must not only reach net-zero earlier to preserve equitable carbon space, but invest more in negative emissions technologies and most importantly fulfil their obligations on finance, technology transfer and capacity-building to developing countries.

The statement also called for a strong outcome on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and supported taking forward the UAE–Belém Work Programme and the launch of the Baku Adaptation Roadmap to ensure that no one is left behind. It also emphasised that the UNFCCC Just Transitions Work Programme must ensure that climate transitions across economies are rooted in equity and justice.

The statement laid major emphasis on the principles of Equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), with both BASIC and LMDC reaffirming that the architecture of the Paris Agreement must not be altered, and that CBDR-RC must remain the cornerstone of the global climate regime. India also cautioned against unilateral climate-related trade measures which risk becoming instruments of protectionism, and undermine multilateral cooperation.

COP30: 10 YEARS OF PARIS AGREEMENT

Representatives from over 195 countries, scientists, experts and civil society organisations have reached Belem, Brazil, for the two-week-long climate summit to discuss the next course of climate action. The summit also marks 10 years of the 2015 Paris Agreement wherein countries had agreed to limit global warming to well below 2℃, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. The conference is taking place amid heightened geopolitical tensions and the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, said the world is bending the curve of the planet-heating emissions downwards for the first time. “We have built the engine. Paris (Agreement) is working to take us forward. We must accelerate in the Amazon. Every fraction of a degree of heating avoided will save millions of lives and billions of dollars in climate damage,” he added, also announcing that the global emissions are projected to fall by 12 per cent in 2035 (compared to 2019 levels) based on new NDCs, including many received in recent weeks.