Guwahati

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has called for consensus-based decisions on climate action, warning that global negotiations become “complicated” when developed countries fail to fulfil their historical responsibilities or resist an equitable share of the global carbon budget.

In an interview to PTI after returning from the UN COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil, Yadav said climate solutions must respect the UN principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC).

“India supports consensus-based decision-making using multilateral platforms to resolve global issues like climate change,” he said. “Negotiations become complicated when developed countries fail to acknowledge historical responsibility or resist equitable distribution of carbon space.”

Yadav, who led the Indian delegation at the summit in Belem (Nov 10–22), said ensuring energy security for the Global South is crucial while planning a complete transition away from fossil fuels.

On India’s position on the Belem Roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels, he clarified that the plan announced by the COP30 Presidency was “outside the negotiations” and did not form part of the UNFCCC text. “India emphasised the need for energy security and the technological challenges of managing power grids when shifting completely to renewable energy, as renewables are intermittent in availability,” he said.

The Brazil summit concluded with pledges for enhanced climate adaptation finance but without a negotiated roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.

Yadav said India is “accelerating its transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy” through large-scale mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Key interventions span water, agriculture, forests, renewable energy, mobility, housing, waste management, circular economy and resource efficiency.

He said the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) remains the overarching framework, while all 34 states and Union Territories have prepared State Action Plans (SAPCCs) aligned with it.

India’s progress so far includes:

• 36% reduction in emissions intensity between 2005 and 2020

• 50.73% installed non-fossil electricity capacity as of August 2025

• Creation of 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink by 2021

Asked about India’s climate-finance roadmap over the next 3–5 years, Yadav said a full estimate depends on the difference between required expenditure and available funding from domestic and international sources. For now, climate programmes are being financed through domestic budget allocations.

India’s long-term investment priorities include:

• Renewable energy

• Industrial transition

• Green hydrogen

• Transport electrification

• Public transport infrastructure

• Smart and climate-resilient cities

He noted that global financing remains heavily skewed, with the Adaptation Gap Report 2025 estimating that developing nations require USD 310–365 billion annually by 2035, while current flows are only around USD 26 billion.

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“Norms survive only when nations renew them,” Yadav said. “The next 50 years of climate action will demand modernising global climate governance, keeping pace with science and strengthening global capacity so every nation can detect, prevent and respond to climate risks.”