India will submit its revised Nationally Determined Contributions for the period through 2035 and file its first Biennial Transparency Report in line with the Paris Agreement. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav made the announcement at the COP30 High-Level Segment in Belém on November 17. The disclosure comes as negotiators enter a decisive phase aimed at finalising the Belém Package, a central outcome of this year’s summit.
NDCs are five-year climate plans that outline each country’s targets for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts. More than 100 of the 198 UNFCCC Parties have already submitted their third round of NDCs. BTRs offer a common and transparent system for reporting climate actions, emissions data, adaptation efforts and support received or needed. They help build confidence between countries and guide domestic planning.
Delivering India’s National Statement, Yadav urged that COP30 be seen as a “COP of Implementation” and a “COP of Delivery on Promises.” He thanked Brazil for hosting the summit “in the heart of the Amazon,” calling the region a “living symbol of our planet’s ecological wealth.”
India Presses for Faster Action
COP30 is taking place in a period of high tension for global climate cooperation. The Global Stocktake in 2023 showed that emission cuts, finance flows and adaptation measures remain far behind what science indicates is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. Developing nations continue to point to funding gaps, rising debt and slow progress on promised support.
In this context, India has sought to act as a bridge between developed and developing economies. Its interventions at earlier G20 and COP gatherings centred on climate justice, equitable pathways and wider access to clean technologies.
Yadav called on developed countries to advance their net-zero timelines. He said they “must reach net zero far earlier than current target dates” to preserve carbon space for developing economies.
He repeated India’s long-held position that climate finance must increase to support transitions in the Global South, and said future funding must be new, concessional and available at scale. Yadav also said intellectual property rules restrict access to climate technologies and need reform.
These requests follow years of shortfalls in the delivery of the annual 100 billion dollars in climate finance and slow movement on a new goal that will define future funding needs.
India Shows Climate Progress
Yadav detailed India’s emissions record and energy transition measures. He said emission intensity has fallen by more than 36 per cent since 2005. Non-fossil sources now make up more than half of the country’s total installed power capacity. India reached its 2030 NDC target for non-fossil capacity five years ahead of schedule.
He cited India’s energy missions, including the International Solar Alliance, the Global Biofuel Alliance, the Nuclear Mission and the Green Hydrogen Mission. He noted that India planted more than two billion plants in 16 months under a community-led programme meant to strengthen natural carbon sinks.
At a separate high-level segment on the International Big Cat Alliance, Yadav expanded India’s message by connecting wildlife conservation with climate stability. He said big cats serve as markers of ecosystem health and that their presence aligns with stronger forests, grasslands and watersheds. He said declines in big cat populations weaken ecosystems and reduce climate resilience.
Calling wildlife-rich landscapes natural tools for climate mitigation, he urged countries to integrate such approaches into future climate plans. Yadav said, “What we often call ‘wildlife conservation’ is, in fact, climate action in its most natural form.”
India Expands Wildlife Protection Efforts
Yadav highlighted India’s record in wildlife protection. The country is home to five of the world’s seven big cat species. It has doubled its tiger population ahead of target and expanded its Asiatic lion population. India has also widened its protected areas and built larger wildlife corridors with community involvement.
Seventeen countries are now formally linked to the International Big Cat Alliance, and more than thirty have expressed interest. He announced that India will host a Global Big Cats Summit in New Delhi in 2026.
Yadav closed his interventions by saying the world faces a moment that demands shared responsibility. “Let the next decade be one of implementation, resilience and shared responsibility,” he said, calling for countries to shift from promises to clear delivery.
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