Consider the following statements:
Statement I: At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the ‘Declaration on Climate and Health’.
Statement II: The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration, and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonise the health sector.
Statement III: If India’s health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
- Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
- Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
- Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
Answer: (c) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
- COP28 is the 28th annual United Nations (UN) climate meeting, which took place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- COP stands for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The conference is where governments discuss how to prepare for and limit future climate change.
- At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the ‘Declaration on Climate and Health’. The declaration calls for deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to achieve health benefits, including those from lower air pollution and sustainable diets.
- COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a non-binding, voluntary political declaration that aims to galvanize support for action on climate change and health. It’s a call to action and a joint vision, not a legally enforceable treaty.
- At COP28, India chose not to sign the “Declaration on Climate and Health”. This decision is primarily due to concerns about the practicality of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cooling in the country’s healthcare infrastructure, a point within the declaration. Concerns were reportedly raised about the practicality of implementing cooling-related decarbonization in a country where access to affordable and reliable cooling (especially in rural or under-resourced health facilities) is essential for resilience. India feared that rigid decarbonization efforts in such critical infrastructure might undermine operational capacity or resilience, particularly in heat-prone and underserved areas.
Key Highlights of the COP28
- Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund
- COP28 countries agreed to launch the Loss and Damage (L&D) fund, hosted by the World Bank for four years, aligning with UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. All developing countries are eligible, and contributions are voluntary, with a specific percentage earmarked for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
- Global Stocktake
- Global stocktake is a process for countries to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. As per the Paris Agreement (2015), it was decided that countries would assess their progress for the first time in 2023 and, then, every five years.
- It noted that there is a need to cut 43% of GHG emissions by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and countries are off-track in meeting their climate goals.
- COP28 released the fifth iteration of the Global Stocktake (GST), adopting eight steps to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C. These steps include:
- Tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 (to at least 11,000 GW by 2030) and collectively double the global energy efficiency improvements from around 2% to over 4% every year until 2030.
- Phase-down of unabated coal power
- Accelerating efforts globally towards net zero by around mid-century
- Accelerating zero and low emissions technologies, e.g., Nuclear, CCUS, Hydrogen
- Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, so as to achieve net zero by 2050
- Reducing non-CO2 emissions e.g., methane emissions globally by 2030
- Emissions reductions from road transport
- Phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies
- Global stocktake is a process for countries to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. As per the Paris Agreement (2015), it was decided that countries would assess their progress for the first time in 2023 and, then, every five years.
- Global Cooling Pledge
- 66 national signatories committed to a 68% reduction in cooling-related emissions by 2050
- Climate Finance
- UNCTAD estimates that developed nations owe developing countries $500 billion in 2025 under the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance, confirmed in the Paris Agreement.
- The goal, starting at $100 billion annually, allocates $250 billion for mitigation, $100 billion for adaptation, and $150 billion for loss and damage.
- With the current $100 billion goal unmet, developing countries face debt distress.
- Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) framework
- Draft text introduced to enhance climate change adaptation like Climate-Induced Water Scarcity Reduction, Climate-resilient food and Agriculture Production and Strengthening Resilience Against Climate-Related Health Impacts
- Triple Nuclear Energy
- The text calls to triple global nuclear energy capacity by 2050
- Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA)
- PPCA, a coalition involving governments, businesses, and organizations, focuses on transitioning from unabated coal power to clean energy. At COP28, PPCA welcomed new national and subnational governments, advocating for cleaner energy alternatives. India is not part of PPCA as it has not committed to phasing out of coal.
- Coal Transition Accelerator
- Introduced for knowledge-sharing and financial support in transitioning from coal.
- Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnership (CHAMP)
- 65 national governments signed commitments for enhanced cooperation with subnational governments in climate strategies.
- Buildings Breakthrough Initiative
- The goal of the Buildings Breakthrough Initiative is to make near-zero emissions and resilient buildings the new normal by 2030. The initiative is co-led by France and the Kingdom of Morocco, coordinated under the umbrella of UNEP, and hosted by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC).
- India Led Initiatives at COP28:
- Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA):
- It was launched at COP 28, led by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
- The GRCA is a unique alliance covering 275+ global river-cities in 11 countries.
- Partner countries include Egypt, Netherlands, Denmark, Ghana, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan and river-cities of The Hague (Den Haag) from the Netherlands, Adelaide from Australia, and Szolnok of Hungary.
- GRCA highlights India’s role in sustainable river-centric development and climate resilience.
- The GRCA platform will facilitate knowledge exchange, river-city twinning, and dissemination of best practices.
- Green Credit Initiative:
- India launched the Green Credit Initiative here at COP28, to create a participatory global platform for exchange of innovative environmental programs and instruments.
- There are two main priorities of the initiative are water conservation and afforestation.
- The main purpose of this initiative is to boost voluntary environmental activities like tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture, and waste management by incentivizing it for big corporations and private companies, bringing about a change in the climate issues faced by the country.
- Global River Cities Alliance (GRCA):