Climate change at COP30: What should India do?

If most countries are unlikely to make strong commitments, it is relevant to ask whether India should also hold back. Climate change is too important for us to take this course

- MONTEK SINGH AHLUWALIA

creation of an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 Giga tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover, but since no base year was specified, it is not possible to measure progress. We should specify a new target for afforestation by 2035, indicating the base clearly.

Financing the transition As mentioned above, the finance package that emerged from Baku left many developing countries deeply dissatisfied. This disappointment will almost certainly surface again in COP30. But if we want to be realistic, we have to recognise that developed countries are unlikely to change their position.

This is very bad news for low-income countries, especially those that are debt stressed. However, India may be less affected because it is better placed to attract both debt and equity, from foreign private capital and also sovereign wealth funds for green energy projects.