Suva, Oct 7 (IANS) : Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday called for greater focus on closing gaps in understanding, fulfilling existing climate commitments and accelerating implementation of the Paris Agreement at the Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji.
Yadav is leading the Indian delegation at the Pre-COP31 meetings under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), being co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu.
Pre-COP is a preparatory meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference, with COP 31 scheduled to be held in Turkey in November this year.
Addressing the plenary discussion on COP31 priorities at the UNFCCC Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji, Yadav said the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement have already established long-term objectives and goals, including the ambition of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
He emphasised that achieving this ambition would require commensurate means of implementation, with the focus on assessing how the world can accelerate its journey towards these goals.
Referring to the COP31 Presidencies’ focus on consensus, decision-making and implementation, Yadav said there is an overall consensus on the long-term goals and direction of climate multilateralism.
He stressed the need to identify and develop consensus on existing gaps in understanding, including gaps between science and traditional knowledge and community practices, between practices and ethics, and between available resources and felt needs. The Union Minister said that COP31 should endeavour to close these gaps in understanding, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
On decision-making, Yadav said the key decision required from parties is to fulfil their commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement “in true letter and spirit” and enable each party to fulfil these commitments.
Additionally, on implementation, the Minister called for addressing identified gaps where the need is highest, and the impact is visible and felt by the majority.
He emphasised the need for greater capacity building and urged parties to bring concrete examples and success stories every year—demonstrating high-impact mitigation, large-scale adaptation and effective delivery of means of implementation, the Ministry mentioned.
Yadav held talks with Amina J Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, and Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, on the sidelines of Pre-COP in Fiji, where they discussed key climate priorities ahead of COP 31.
“Glad to have met with Ms. Amina J Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, and Mr Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, on the sidelines of Pre-COP in Nadi, Fiji today. We had an extensive discussion on matters related to the upcoming COP31 with emphasis on means of implementation, just transition, adaptation, and climate finance,” Yadav posted on X.
“India remains committed to engaging with upcoming COP Presidency and UNFCCC constructively, extending all required support,” he added.
The Union Minister also met with Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, with discussion focused on matters related to clean energy, including access to energy, and the importance of science-based support enabling an inclusive policy-making process.
“We further discussed the importance of native wisdom in terms of providing tangible solutions supported with technology transfer. India and the EU will work together closely to have a productive, solution-oriented COP31 in November,” Yadav posted on X.
