Climate Crisis and COP30

The climate crisis has intensified a decade after the Paris Agreement, with South Asia facing significant impacts like monsoon floods, landslides, and heatwaves. The region is home to nearly two billion people and carries diverse climate risks. Despite global challenges and weakened multilateral agreements, the responsibility of climate leadership is increasingly shifting to South Asia.

Emerging Climate Leadership in South Asia

• Regional coalitions and investments in renewable energy.
• Climate-resilient agriculture and integration of climate adaptation into development planning.
• Driven by necessity, experience, and the moral imperative to protect its people.

Key Concerns and Priorities for COP30

1. Implementation of Climate Actions

• Significant gap between promises and delivery in action and finance.
• Approximately 5% of 203 climate initiatives since 2015 have achieved their goals.
• Need for robust governance and regional cooperation to create impactful initiatives.
• Strengthen regional forums like G-20, BIMSTEC, and BRICS.

2. Climate Adaptation alongside Mitigation

• ADB warns of increased days exceeding 35°C in South Asia by 2100.
• Region-specific impacts include glacial floods in Nepal and coastal threats in the Maldives.
• Necessity for technical, institutional, and financial support for adaptation plans.
• Need for multi-dimensional indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation.

3. Building Trust through Ambitious Action

• Developed countries lagging in meeting 2030 NDC targets.
• Need for fulfilling existing pledges and aligning with 1.5°C targets.

4. Climate Finance

• Finance must be predictable, adequate, fairly distributed, and non-debt inducing.
• Baku to Belém Roadmap to $1.3 trillion must be clear on delivery and accountability.
• Call for tripling adaptation finance by 2035 with operational clarity.
• Proposal for a 'South Asian resilience finance facility'.

5. Role of Non-State Actors

• Non-state actors essential in enhancing climate ambition.
• The private sector can unlock finance, while sub-national entities can deliver aligned goals.
• Civil society, youth, and businesses can drive sustainability and innovation.

Conclusion

Transformation must converge finance, technology, and innovation. South Asia is leading in demanding credible multilateralism through delivery, emphasizing the importance of mutual clarity, cooperation, and implementation. The time for promises is over; delivery is now the currency of trust at COP30.