When Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared at the Dubai Climate\nSummit in December 2023, he expressed India\u2019s commitment to hosting the\nclimate conference. That moment reflected ambition, as well as a signal\nthat India was ready to take on a leadership role, particularly as the\nvoice and representative of the Global South, a term grouping developing\ncountries.<\/p>\n
The candidacy received support from the BRICS group (Brazil, China,\nIndia, and South Africa) in July 2025, representing the Asia-Pacific\nregion under the UN.<\/p>\n
However, just 18 months later, India quietly withdrew via a brief\nletter dated 2 April, according to a report by Climate Home News, which\nfirst broke the story.<\/p>\n
The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) is the UN\u2019s climate forum\nthat brings together 198 parties (197 countries and the European Union)\nto negotiate and assess progress and responses to climate change.<\/p>\n
Hosting this conference is not just about prestige, but also about\nhow a country can potentially influence the agenda, showcase itself\ndiplomatically, and open space to shape the direction of global\nconversations.<\/p>\n
Weakening Climate Consensus<\/p>\n
Experts and policy analysts assess that India\u2019s withdrawal reflects a\nshift in global priorities, where the COP has a lower status than before\namid global instability and prioritised national interests domestically.\nIn recent years, the global climate consensus has weakened.<\/p>\n
The Paris Agreement, a global pact to reduce the impacts of the\nclimate crisis that requires countries to set voluntary national targets\nto limit global warming, is increasingly under pressure, particularly\nwith the Trump administration withdrawing the US from the agreement for\nthe second time.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the main reasons for India\u2019s withdrawal appears to be the\nCOP\u2019s continuously declining relevance in driving meaningful global\nclimate action,\u201d said Chandra Bhushan, head of the Delhi-based\nInternational Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe loss of trust among countries at the Belem Summit in Brazil,\nwhere several nations reneged on previously agreed commitments, seems to\nhave been a turning point,\u201d Bhushan added.<\/p>\n
That summit was attended by few participants and had minimal\nhigh-level political engagement, including from the US, which\nconspicuously did not send high-level representatives. Bhushan also\nhighlighted that India has shown its willingness to engage in climate\nmultilateralism.<\/p>\n
Recently, India updated its NDC for the 2031\u20132035 period, the climate\naction plan under the Paris Agreement. India targets a 47% reduction in\nemission intensity by 2035, 60% of electricity capacity from non-fossil\nsources, and an additional absorption of 3.5\u20134 billion tonnes of carbon\ndioxide through increased forest cover.<\/p>\n
However, there is currently a growing domestic consensus that\ndomestic climate actions will be key to achieving sustainable\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis approach is likely to continue until more favourable conditions\nemerge for more effective multilateral cooperation,\u201d Bhushan said.<\/p>\n
In this situation, hosting the summit is no longer seen as\nbeneficial. While its symbolic value remains, the ability to achieve\nmeaningful outcomes or even attract global attention has become less\ncertain.<\/p>\n
Bearing the Financial Burden<\/p>\n
Abinash Mohanty, head of global climate change and sustainability at\nIPE Global, an international development organisation, views India\u2019s\nwithdrawal as a pragmatic step.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, the global system is not meeting expectations. Developed\ncountries promised to provide US$100 billion (approximately Rp1,700\ntrillion) per year by 2020 for climate funding, but have repeatedly\nfailed to meet that commitment.<\/p>\n
Even new promises like US$300 billion (approximately Rp5,100\ntrillion) per year until 2035 only cover a small portion of what\ndeveloping countries need. At the same time, the US has undermined trust\nin global climate commitments by exiting the Paris Agreement twice,\u201d\nMohanty told DW.<\/p>\n
For countries like India, which have consistently emphasised climate\njustice and funding, this imbalance is increasingly hard to ignore,\nMohanty added.<\/p>\n
According to Mohanty\u2019s estimates, India has performed well\ndomestically by surpassing 50% installed non-fossil capacity, achieving\n200-GW installed renewable energy capacity, and reducing emission\nintensity by more than a third since 2005, largely using its own\nresources rather than external funding.<\/p>\n
Mohanty also assesses that India\u2019s domestic performance is strong.\nThe share of non-fossil electricity capacity has already exceeded 50%,\nrenewable energy capacity has reached 200 GW, and emission intensity has\nfallen by more than a third since 2005, largely achieved by relying on\nits own resources, not external funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHosting COP33 would incur costs. It would mean spending significant\nfunds and political capital to support a global process that, from\nIndia\u2019s perspective, may not deliver fair outcomes for Global South\ncountries,\u201d Mohanty said.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, India is shifting strategy, focusing on platforms it can\nshape directly, such as the International Solar Alliance and similar\ncoalitions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Avoiding the Spotlight<\/p>\n
Hosting COP33 would actually place India at the centre of the next\nglobal stocktake cycle, a mechanism under the Paris Agreement framework\nto measure collective progress in curbing emissions and achieving\nclimate targets.<\/p>\n
However, this position would also mean sharper scrutiny of India\u2019s\ncoal dependence, its emission trajectory, and the clarity of its energy\ntransition timeline. Despite making significant progress in renewables,\nIndia remains a consumer and producer<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/behind-the-reasons-for-indias-withdrawal-as-cop33-host-candidate-1776246658", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }