Opinion COP 30 is a moment for action, not aspiration
There is a significant chasm between commitments and actual emissions reductions. If acted upon, current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) predict a pathway to warming of about 2.3-2.5°C, well above the 1.5°C target.
India’s statement highlights the most important elements for real progress: Equity, finance, and credible delivery. The country is also attempting to lead by example through achievements 
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COP 30 is the first real “implementation COP” of the Paris years, where the gaze moves from pledges to concreteness. Questions are asked about the extent to which countries are delivering on promises. In this light, India’s statement highlights the most important elements for real progress: Equity, finance, and credible delivery. The country is also attempting to lead by example through achievements and forming coalitions based on actions. Its discourse is based on three linked challenges that have become central dynamics of global climate politics: The ambition gap, the implementation gap and the perception gap.
There is a significant chasm between commitments and actual emissions reductions. If acted upon, current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) predict a pathway to warming of about 2.3-2.5°C, well above the 1.5°C target. For the Global South, this only reinforces the necessity of more aggressive action from the developed world, which should be making stronger commitments to cut emissions and setting precedents through financial and technological support.
Second, recapitalising funds to be able to deliver outcomes has been challenging. Most pledges made in Paris, particularly that of mobilising $100 billion a year for climate finance, have been unfulfilled. When these funds are eventually provided, they are in the form of loans that further indebt developing countries. In addition, advances in scaling up technology deployment, capacity building, and climate adaptation are “moving at varying speeds”.
India emphasises that any new collective climate finance goals must be equitable, predictable, and concessional. These pathways must be established to convey more explicitly the means for adaptation, loss and damage, and a just transition.
The perception gap may be the most difficult to address. The successes of countries like India are often undervalued on the global stage. India has achieved a 36 per cent reduction in the emission intensity of GDP between 2005 and 2020. It achieved an installed capacity of over 50 per cent in non-fossil fuels five years earlier than its NDC. India is currently the third-largest producer of renewable energy, with close to 200 GW of renewable energy installed.
This gives the lie to the claim that “developing countries” are not doing enough. To the contrary, these countries are proof of how high climate ambition and development can go hand in hand when policies, investments and global support are adequate.
COP 30 is the moment when climate diplomacy must grow beyond merely being aspirational. India’s message is clear – equity is not just a word but an action. The past has shown that promises are not enough.
The writer is clinical associate professor (research) and research director at Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business. He contributes to IPCC reports
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