Reducing Carbon Footprint, Hosting 2028 Summit & Green Credit Initiative | PM Modi's Top Quotes at COP28

Prime Minster Narendra Modi on Friday proposed to host the COP33 summit in India in 2028, while speaking at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) Summit in Dubai on Friday. PM Modi was the only head of state to deliver an address at the high-level segment of the UN climate conference for heads of state and governments .

COP stands for Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC. It consists of 197 countries that consented to the UNFCCC in 1992. This year the summit began on Thursday with the presence and participation of leaders from across the globe.

At the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai, countries will for the first time assess how far off track they are at curbing global warming. It’s a process called the global stocktake.

TOP QUOTES FROM PM MODI’S ADDRESS AT THE SUMMIT

• PM Modi referred to the conference as “a pivotal platform for global climate action” and hailed the decision on Loss and Damage Fund taken on the first day as a ray of hope for the world. He added, “the first-ever Global Stocktake (GST) during the next two weeks at COP28 will show the world a path towards a secure future.”
• At the initial part of his speech, PM Modi said, “India is aiming to reduce emission intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 and increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 50 per cent. We are also working on hydrogen as alternate fuel.”
• “People living in the Global South are facing devastating impacts of climate change. All developing countries should get a fair share in the global carbon budget. We should move forward in a balanced manner on all fronts – adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, technology transfer and finance,” PM Modi said while demanding a fair share of the remaining Carbon Budget for developing countries.
• Developed countries have already consumed more than 80 per cent of the global carbon budget, leaving developing and poor countries with very little carbon space for the future, Modi highlighted. He further said that India is home to 17 per cent of the world’s population, but its share of global carbon emissions is less than 4 per cent. “India is one of the very few economies in the world that is on track to achieve its NDC targets,” he added.
• Further on PM Modi said, “India achieved its emissions intensity-related targets 11 years ahead of the committed time frame and non-fossil fuel targets nine years ahead of schedule.”.He also said that his country did not just stop there and remains ‘ambitious’.
• Highlighting the exploitation of nature by people over the last many years, PM Modi said, “Over the past century, a small section of humanity has indiscriminately exploited nature. However, the entire humanity is paying the price for this, especially people living in the Global South.” He also reiterated the fact that thinking only about one’s own interests will lead the world into darkness.
• Modi also mentioned “India has always walked the talk on climate action, and is among the only few economies in the world that are on track to meeting its climate targets”.
• The Prime Minister said that India has presented a great example to the world in terms of striking balance between development and environment conservation. He then added, “India is among the only few countries in the world on track to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions or the national action plans to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the guardrail to avoid worsening of the impact of the changing climate.”
• While referring to the theme of G20 which was ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, the Prime Minister said, “India has given utmost priority to sustainable development and climate change. We all know that countries in the Global South, including India, have had less of a role to play in climate change. But the impact of climate change on them is immense. Despite a lack of resources, these countries are committed towards climate action.”
• In his address, Modi also proposed a Green Credit Initiative, which he referred to as ‘another pro-planet, pro-active and positive initiative.’ He said, “From this forum today, I want to invoke another pro-planet, pro-active and positive initiative – Green Credit Initiative.” He added, “It focuses on creating carbon sinks through people’s participation and I invite all of you to join this initiative.”
• At the high-level event of the World Climate Action Summit, PM Narendra Modi said, “I have always felt that the purview of carbon credit is very limited. In a way, this philosophy is influenced by the commercial element. I have seen a major lack of a sense of social responsibility in the system of carbon credit. We will have to emphasize on a new philosophy in a holistic manner and that is the foundation of Green Credit.”