Belem/New Delhi, November 19: India will submit its updated climate targets and its first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) to the United Nations by the end of December, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday at the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil.
Under the Paris Agreement, all signatories must file updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025, outlining how they intend to transition away from fossil fuels and improve energy efficiency. More than 100 countries have already submitted new targets that stretch to 2035.
“India will declare its updated NDC and issue its Biennial Transparency Report before the end of December,” Yadav said. The BTR submission will be India’s first and will include details on emissions inventories, progress toward climate goals, adaptation measures and technology and finance needs.
India’s move comes as other major economies put forward more ambitious climate plans. The European Union has pledged to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 and as much as 72.5% by 2035 from 1990 levels, while Brazil has committed to reducing emissions 67% by 2035 compared to 2005. China has said it will reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 7%–10% from its eventual peak, though it has not announced when that peak will occur.
India’s emissions are expected to grow in the coming years, driven by development needs, but New Delhi has committed to slowing the pace of this growth. Its first NDC, announced in 2022, set targets including a 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 and achieving 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources. India has already exceeded the power capacity target and is progressing toward its other goals, Yadav said.
However, he warned that deeper emissions cuts will require costly structural changes to India’s energy systems and reiterated New Delhi’s long-standing complaint that developed nations have fallen short on climate finance.
“Developed countries must reach net zero far earlier than their current target dates and deliver new, additional and concessional finance in the trillions of dollars,” Yadav said, citing obligations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. He argued that nations historically responsible for the bulk of carbon emissions were not reducing their emissions fast enough and were constraining the development pathways of poorer countries.
Climate experts said that while updating the NDC is important, funding remains a central challenge for India and many developing nations. “Accessing low-cost public finance is one of the main issues hindering climate action,” said Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a senior fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. “NDCs will be updated, but other steps are essential for delivering global emissions reductions.”
India’s submissions at year-end will form a key part of global stock-taking as countries attempt to close the gap toward meeting the Paris goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
