Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- India has withdrawn its candidature to host COP33 (2028) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.
Possible Reasons for Withdrawal
- Administrative Burden: Hosting a COP event requires substantial infrastructure, security, and financial expenditure.
- Preparations for other large-scale international events, such as the proposed 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, will require similar administrative and financial resources.
- Political Timing: The year 2028 falls close to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, which is a period marked by intense administrative, political, and logistical engagements.
Impact of India withdrawal
- India’s withdrawal from hosting COP33 results in the loss of an important global platform to project itself as a leader of the Global South in climate negotiations.
- India loses an opportunity to highlight its progress in renewable energy, energy transition, and sustainable development initiatives before the global community.
- The decision may limit global attention on the climate vulnerabilities of South Asia, which is one of the most climate-sensitive regions.
- Hosting such global events helps in mobilising climate finance, technology transfer, and international collaborations, which may now be relatively constrained.
What is COP (Conference of Parties)?
- The Conference of Parties (COP) is the annual supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- It brings together nearly 200 countries to negotiate global climate action, climate finance, and emission reduction commitments.
- The first COP session was held in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995.
- Meeting: The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise.
- The COP Presidency rotates among the five recognized UN regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others.
- The COP meets in Bonn, unless a Party offers to host the session.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- UNFCCC is one of the three Rio Conventions, which were adopted at the Earth Summit 1992 alongside the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
- The convention entered into force in 1994.
- The primary objective of the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
- Secretariat: The UNFCCC secretariat is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
- Major Instruments: It is the parent treaty to two major legal agreements:
- Kyoto Protocol (1997): Set the emission targets for developed countries.
- Paris Agreement (2015): A landmark universal agreement aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
- Financial Mechanisms: Manages and coordinates funds such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Adaptation Fund to assist developing nations.
Recent COP Meetings
- COP27: Held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (2022).
- COP28: Held in Dubai, UAE (2023), resulting in the “UAE Consensus” focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels.
- COP 29: held in Baku, Azerbaijan (2024)
- COP 30: Held in Belém, Brazil (2025)
- COP 31: Scheduled for Antalya, Türkiye (2026)
Source: DTE
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