The Indian government stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the UAE to attend the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change "COP28" in Dubai, which begins this week, highlighting New Delhi's commitment to climate change issues. Modi will stay in the UAE for two days from November 30 to December 1.
The statement released on Sunday said, "Climate change has been a priority area during India’s presidency of the G20, and the COP28 conference will provide an opportunity to advance these successes." During India’s recently concluded presidency of the G20, leaders agreed to aim to triple the global capacity for renewable energy by 2030 and to phase out coal-fired power plants, although no key targets were set to address climate change.
Reuters reported last week that France, with support from the United States, plans to seek an end to private financing for coal-fired power plants during the climate conference. India is unlikely to support such a proposal, which could lead to further divisions within the group, as major emerging economies like India still depend on coal to boost their rapid economic growth. Approximately 73 percent of electricity consumed in India is produced using coal, even though the country has increased its capacity to generate energy from non-fossil sources to 44 percent of its total power generation capacity.
