India Seeks Equal Focus on Adaptation at Pre-COP31
Bhupender Yadav stresses equity, climate finance and local solutions, offers India’s coastal and space expertise to Pacific nations
- India seeks equal focus on adaptation, mitigation and implementation
- Yadav stresses equity and CBDR-RC principles
- India offers coastal and space expertise to Pacific nations
- Pre-COP31 meetings underway ahead of November’s COP31
GG News Bureau
Fiji, 7th Oct: India has called for equal attention to adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation as countries prepare for COP31, with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stressing that climate action cannot follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Yadav, who is leading the Indian delegation at the UNFCCC Pre-COP31 meetings being co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu, made the remarks while addressing the Leaders’ Plenary in Fiji on Tuesday.
He emphasised that the principles of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) must be upheld in both letter and spirit for climate action to remain meaningful and sustained.
Yadav said local studies and assessments are essential to understand emerging climate challenges and develop appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures, along with the resources required to implement them.
India offers expertise to Pacific partners
Highlighting the particular vulnerability of Pacific Island countries, Yadav said India, with its extensive coastline and islands, understands many of the challenges faced by the region.
He said India has built considerable expertise in ocean science through institutions including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) and National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
India has developed capabilities in coastal vulnerability assessment, shoreline-change mapping, marine spatial planning, integrated coastal management and the Blue Economy, he said.
Yadav also highlighted the use of India’s space ecosystem and Earth-observation capabilities for shoreline monitoring, inundation assessment, cyclone and extreme-weather early warnings and climate-risk assessment.
He offered to share this knowledge and expertise with India’s Pacific partners.
Focus on cooperation and local resilience
Yadav said India has continued to work with Pacific partners across areas including health and wellness, renewable energy, resilient infrastructure, early warning systems, information technology, agriculture and capacity building.
Referring to his visit to Tuvalu, he cited the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project as an example of how international cooperation and adequate means of implementation can translate into tangible climate resilience on the ground.
He said the experience further underlined the importance of developing local solutions to emerging climate challenges rather than relying on uniform approaches.
The Pre-COP meeting is being held ahead of the annual UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, which is scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.
