India to Emphasize Climate Justice and Financial Support at Upcoming COP31 in Antalya

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, has clarified India's priorities for the upcoming UNFCCC COP31 conference, to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 9 to 20 November 2026. Addressing the media in New Delhi, the minister stated that India will move forward on this global platform with a solution-oriented approach, with a special focus on capacity building, knowledge sharing, and geography-specific solutions. India will work together with the G-77, China, LMDC, and BASIC countries in this process.

Shri Yadav emphasized that climate finance, or financial support, will be the most crucial issue for India. Under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, it is the responsibility of developed countries to provide financial resources to developing countries to combat climate change. According to the minister, this financial support should be predictable, predominantly public, and concessional so that the debt burden on developing countries does not increase. India will demand a decision to launch a 'Climate Finance Work Program' at COP31. According to a report by The Hindu, India believes that the target of 300 billion dollars annually by 2035 is completely inadequate, while developing countries are demanding at least 1 to 1.3 trillion dollars annually.

India's stance on climate mitigation and adaptation is clear that it should be party-driven and non-punitive. India will oppose any attempt to impose new top-down targets and will advocate respecting the nature of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The minister clarified that India is not in favor of language such as cutting or phasing out fossil fuels, as India is already committed to renewable energy, increasing forest cover, and improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, technology transfer is the responsibility of developed countries, and costs, intellectual property rights (IPR), and trade-related barriers should be removed.

India will support the continuation of the 'Just Transition Work Program', which aims to reskill workers dependent on fossil fuels and shift them towards green jobs. Climate justice, the right to development, and access to affordable energy are included in India's priorities. At COP31, India will participate in 'LeadIT 3.0' with Sweden and will be involved in high-level panel discussions on coastal resilience, IBCA, and forests.

In addition, Shri Yadav highlighted the outcomes of CBD COP17 held in Yerevan, Armenia, and UNCCD COP17 held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. At CBD COP17, India gave importance to national priorities for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). India advocated for fair benefit-sharing through multilateral mechanisms, including the Kelly Fund for Digital Sequence Information (DSI). At UNCCD COP17, India reiterated its commitment to restore more than 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and emphasized a science-based approach to combat drought.

In another significant scientific discovery, researchers have found 6,000-year-old monsoon records from a cave in Meghalaya. This discovery shows that the Indian monsoon was much more powerful in the past than it is now and was influenced by solar activity and Atlantic Ocean impacts. This discovery is considered important for understanding the history of climate change.

UNFCCC, which stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is an international treaty created to reduce the risks of climate change. This organization organizes the Conference of Parties (COP) every year, where countries of the world gather to determine policies to curb the increase in global temperature and protect the environment. India is an active member country of this treaty and has long represented the interests of developing countries.