Key Points at a Glance

UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

• Signed at Rio Earth Summit 1992, entered into force 1994
• Foundational international climate treaty with 196 parties
• Headquarters in Bonn, Germany
• Annual COP (Conference of Parties) is its supreme decision-making body

Paris Agreement (COP21, 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 (196 parties ratified)

NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)

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

COP28 (Dubai, UAE, November–December 2023)

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

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 existing $100 billion pledge
• India strongly pressed for $1 trillion floor

International Solar Alliance (ISA)

• Co-founded by India and France at COP21 (Paris, 2015)
• Headquarters in Gurugram, India; 120 member 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

CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure)

• Co-launched by India and UK at COP26 (Glasgow, 2021)
• 39 national governments + 7 international organisations
• Aim: make infrastructure resilient to climate and disaster risk
• HQ: New Delhi; includes Small Island Developing States (SIDS) initiative

Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)

• Launched by PM Modi at COP26 (Glasgow, November 2021); formally established July 2022
• Advocates shifting from "use and throw" to "reduce, reuse, recycle" lifestyle
• Calls on individuals, communities, businesses, and governments to be "pro-planet people"
• 75 actions across 7 key behaviours (energy, water, food waste, single-use plastic, waste, e-waste, healthy lifestyles)

Panchamrit Commitments (COP26, November 2021)

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

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 World Bank as interim trustee

India's Renewable Energy Achievement (2024-25)

• Installed renewable energy capacity: over 200 GW (wind + solar + hydro + others)
• Solar: 90 GW+; India is 4th globally in installed renewable capacity
• On track for 500 GW by 2030
• India added 18.5 GW solar in FY2024-25 (a record)

"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