Global climate leaders must step up to take the plate at CoP-28

livemint.com:

As the world gathers for CoP-28 in the UAE, world leaders will need to demonstrate leadership and diplomacy to accelerate global climate action. This must be done in the context of the pressing realities of climate change, economic cycles and current geopolitics. My recommendations on what they should do are below: Greater mitigation commitments by developed countries: The carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius was last estimated in 2020.

Three years of human-induced emissions, along with improved scientific methods, have substantially reduced the remaining carbon budget. This reality underscores the urgency of immediate and aggressive climate action on a policy level by all countries. India and other developing nations should continue to advocate that developed nations enhance their mitigation commitments until 2030 in alignment with the 1.5° target.

This involves earlier peaking of emissions and a steeper decline, thus leaving more space in the remaining carbon budget for developing countries. Aim for accelerated timelines for debt-stressed countries: More than a third of the world’s countries, including our neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, are grappling with debt stress. Meanwhile, climate-related damages are escalating, adding to the challenges these nations face.

There is a risk of geopolitical forces influencing outcomes, such as Sri Lanka ceding a port to China and China’s increasing involvement in Nepal’s infrastructure projects. These are likely to escalate geopolitical tensions, including in India’s zone of influence. Building on the leadership demonstrated at the G20 summit, global leaders should continue to push for accelerated timelines in support of debt-stressed countries.