India calls on COP30 to address lack of funds for climate action in developing nations

New Delhi: India has said the United Nations climate conference in Belém, 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 strengthen their future climate commitments. This year marks 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement.

The first GST was completed at COP28 in Dubai. Yadav said GST is designed to strengthen ambition.

For future GSTs, he proposed that there should be no rushing for the inclusion of scientific assessments without proper discussion on their global relevance.

Science, he said, must follow rigor, accuracy and robustness, with due consideration from all relevant sources.

Yadav met UN climate chief Simon Stiell, COP30 President-Designate André Corrêa do Lago and EU Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra on the sidelines of the pre-COP meetings.

Yadav said his discussion with Stiell focused on "strengthening multilateral cooperation to enhance global climate action".

"Appreciate his acknowledgment of India's leadership and remarkable progress in renewable energy," Yadav posted on X.

He said his meeting with Corrêa do Lago focused on strengthening climate cooperation, energy security and adaptation measures to deliver tangible outcomes on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Yadav reaffirmed India's full support for making COP30 successful through collective and inclusive climate action. In the meeting with Hoekstra, the two leaders discussed ways to advance the India EU climate partnership and enhance energy security.

They also underlined the importance of climate finance, technology transfer and cooperative solutions for sustainable growth, Yadav said.

The two-day pre-COP brings together environment and climate ministers, senior negotiators and observers to narrow differences on politically sensitive topics and build ministerial consensus ahead of the UN climate conference in Belém.

Pre-COPs are not formal UNFCCC events but have become routine host-country platforms to focus ministerial attention on a short list of political questions that negotiators otherwise take weeks to resolve.

COP30 is taking place against a complex geopolitical backdrop, with several developed countries reassessing their climate strategies amid economic and energy security pressures.

In the run-up to the annual climate meeting, disagreements over climate finance, the pace and responsibility for the energy transition, and the burden on developing countries remain sharp.