COP28: India silent on fossil fuels phase-down despite green push
Sharm El-Sheikh, India has been silent on the question on phasing out or down of fossil fuels at COP28.
Despite its aggressive renewable energy targets and its role in the adoption of the G20 commitment to triple renewable energy capacity, India has so far maintained a studied silence on the issue of fossil fuels at the ongoing UN Climate Conference in Dubai.
At COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh last year, India had proposed inclusion of clear language on phasing down all fossil fuels, not just coal, as agreed at the Glasgow meet.
Though the proposal failed to make the final cut, it gained the support of at least 80 countries and the European Union. This tentative alliance between India, the EU, and small island states was viewed by some observers as a new approach that was ambitious while being rooted in equity.
The proposal had not found support from India's traditional negotiating partners such as China and Saudi Arabia.
Now, at Friday's plenary marking the start of the second week of negotiations in Dubai, India did not address the issue in its intervention.
Instead, it extended support for the position taken by the 43-member Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDC) group that includes China, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, and Egypt, among others.
