Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, has reaffirmed India’s commitment to making positive contributions to global efforts towards achieving the objectives of the UN Climate Convention and the goals of the Paris Agreement. Briefing the media in New Delhi Today, Mr Yadav said, India will pursue solution-oriented and equitable climate action at UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, which is scheduled to be held from the 9th of this month. He said India will focus on practical solutions for the Global South, with emphasis on capacity building, knowledge sharing and geography-specific approaches. Mr. Yadav also highlighted the key outcomes of India’s participation in Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP17 and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP17. The Minister highlighted that at COP31, India will seek practical outcomes, stronger implementation and greater international cooperation. Mr Yadav said India will work closely with G-77 and China, Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) and Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC) groups. He added climate finance would be a key priority at COP31. Mr Yadav added that India will press for mitigation discussions and the Global Stocktake to remain Party-driven, facilitative and non-punitive.

Talking to reporters, Mr Yadav said India had set a target of restoring 26 million hectares of land. He said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has so far worked towards restoring around 22 million hectares. The Minister said, this is a significant achievement for India in the field of land restoration.