BAKU: "Year after year, COP after COP, we keep discussing what needs to be done without addressing how it is to be done," said Leena Nandan, deputy leader of the Indian delegation at COP29 and secretary of the Union Environment Ministry.
Talking at an open-ended 'Qurultay' summit convened by the COP29 presidency after it released a set of decision draft texts, including the one on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), Nandan said the climate talks began with a clear focus on enablement through the NCQG.
"However, as we approach the conclusion, we see a troubling shift towards mitigation without the corresponding means of implementation. This is unacceptable. Mitigation ambitions are meaningless without the financial support to make them a reality on the ground."
The NCQG must reflect finance as the critical enabler for developing nations to formulate and implement their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This requires specificity—on structure, quantum, quality, timeframes, access, transparency, and review.
"We demand a mobilisation goal of USD 1.3 trillion, with at least USD 600 billion in grants or grant-equivalent resources. Proposals to expand the contributor base, introduce macroeconomic and fiscal conditionalities, or push for carbon pricing and private sector-driven investment flows are contrary to the NCQG mandate. This goal is about financial support, not an investment target," Nandan said.
India also said climate action in developing countries must remain country-driven, aligned with national priorities and circumstances, and rooted in sustainable development goals and poverty eradication.
In mitigation, India said it rejects the prescriptive approach in the draft. Introducing targets for 2030, 2035, and 2050 in a manner that shifts responsibility onto developing nations while ignoring the historical emissions of Annex I countries creates a crisis of climate leadership.
"Annex I parties must shoulder their obligations. Their emissions continue to rise, and they have yet to close the pre-2020 mitigation gap. The draft text unacceptably reinterprets our shared understanding. Transitioning must begin globally, with developed countries taking the lead in mitigation and ensuring means of implementation for developing countries. Domestic transitions in developing nations cannot succeed when constrained by the inaction of developed countries," India said in its statement.
"If we fail to achieve a meaningful outcome here, we fail in our fight against climate change. Developed countries have a clear responsibility to fulfill their commitments and provide the finance necessary for developing countries to act. Climate justice and the survival of millions depend on it,” Nandan said.