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Polity, Governance and Current Affairs

Key Points at a Glance

Climate Diplomacy: COP, International Solar Alliance and Mission LiFE

Paper III · Unit 1 Section 1 of 12 PYQ-style 31 min
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Key Points at a Glance

  1. UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

    • Adopted on 9 May 1992, opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit 1992, entered into force on 21 March 1994
    • Foundational international climate treaty with 198 parties (197 states + 1 regional economic integration organisation)
    • Secretariat headquartered in Bonn, Germany
    • Annual COP (Conference of Parties) is its supreme decision-making body

  2. Paris Agreement (COP21, 12 December 2015, Paris)

    • Legally binding treaty for all parties
    • Commits to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels
    • Pursues efforts to limit it to 1.5°C
    • Entered into force 4 November 2016; 194 parties were listed as parties as of 27 January 2026

  3. NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)

    • Each country submits its own climate action plan: a "bottom-up" approach
    • Must be submitted every 5 years (2020, 2025, 2030...)
    • India's 2022 updated NDC: 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030
    • Also commits to 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 (from the 2005 base)

  4. COP28 (Dubai, UAE, November-December 2023)

    • First Global Stocktake concluded, finding the world is "not on track" to meet the 1.5°C goal
    • Historic "transition away from fossil fuels" language agreed; the text did not use "phase out"
    • Loss and Damage Fund operationalised, with around $475 million pledged in the first round
    • UAE's Sultan Al Jaber served as COP28 President

  5. COP29 (Baku, Azerbaijan, November 2024)

    • Agreed New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)
    • $300 billion per year to developing nations by 2035 from developed countries
    • In addition to the earlier $100 billion pledge
    • India strongly pressed for a $1 trillion floor

  6. International Solar Alliance (ISA)

    • Co-founded by India and France at COP21 (Paris, 2015)
    • Headquarters in Gurugram, India; 120 Member and Signatory Countries
    • Mission: mobilise $1 trillion in solar investments by 2030
    • Target: deploy 1,000 GW of solar capacity globally
    • First intergovernmental organisation headquartered in India

  7. CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure)

    • Launched by India at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit; at COP26, India, the UK and partners advanced the SIDS-focused IRIS initiative under CDRI
    • Current CDRI profile lists 69 members in all, including 57 member countries and 12 partner organisations
    • Aim: make infrastructure resilient to climate and disaster risk
    • HQ: New Delhi; includes the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) initiative for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

  8. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)

    • Introduced by PM Modi at COP26 (Glasgow, 1 November 2021); formally launched with the UN Secretary-General at the Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on 20 October 2022
    • Advocates shifting from "use and throw" to "reduce, reuse, recycle" lifestyles
    • Calls on individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to become "Pro-Planet People"
    • 75 actions across 7 key behaviours (energy, water, food waste, single-use plastic, waste, e-waste, healthy lifestyles)

  9. Panchamrit Commitments (COP26, November 2021)

    • Five climate pledges by India announced by PM Modi
    • (1) 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; (2) 50% total electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030
    • (3) 1 billion tonne CO2 reduction by 2030; (4) 45% emissions intensity reduction by 2030
    • (5) Net zero by 2070

  10. Loss and Damage Fund

    • Created at COP27 (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 2022)
    • Compensates climate-vulnerable nations for losses beyond adaptation capacity
    • Operationalised at COP28 (Dubai, 2023) with the World Bank as interim host and trustee

  11. India's Renewable Energy Achievement (2025-26)

    • Installed non-fossil fuel capacity: 283.46 GW as on 31 March 2026, including 274.68 GW renewable energy and 8.78 GW nuclear power
    • Solar: 150.26 GW; India ranked 3rd globally in installed renewable energy capacity in IRENA's 2026 statistics
    • India achieved 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources in June 2025, five years ahead of the 2030 NDC target
    • India added 44.61 GW solar in FY2025-26, the highest annual solar addition so far; FY2024-25 had added 23.83 GW

  12. "Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities" (CBDR-RC)

    • The foundational principle of international climate justice
    • Developed countries caused most historical emissions and must lead on mitigation and finance
    • Developing nations like India retain the right to growth while taking nationally appropriate actions