COP31 success is about delivery, support and scale, not new targets: Bhupender Yadav

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday urged a stronger focus on bridging gaps in understanding, delivering on existing climate commitments and speeding up implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Yadav said the long-term objectives and goals are already set under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, including the ambition to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Achieving this, he added, would require matching means of implementation, and the focus should now be on assessing how the world can speed up its progress towards these goals.

He made these remarks at the plenary discussion on COP31 priorities during the UNFCCC Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji, co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu. He is heading the Indian delegation.

Yadav said success in Antalya (Turkiye) – where COP31 will be held in November – should not be measured simply by new targets or declarations, but by whether implementation is accelerated, support has reached those who need it, and whether existing solutions can be taken to scale. The pre-COP is a preparatory meeting held a few weeks before the annual UN Climate Change Conference.

Referring to the COP31 Presidencies’ focus on consensus, decision-making and implementation, the minister said there is an overall consensus on the long-term goals and direction of climate multilateralism.

However, he said there is a need to identify and build consensus on existing gaps in understanding, including those in science and traditional knowledge and community practices, between practices and ethics, and between available resources and felt needs. "COP31 should endeavour to close these gaps in understanding," he said.

On decision-making, Yadav said the key decision required from parties is to fulfil their commitments under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement "in true letter and spirit," and to enable every party to meet these commitments. On implementation, the minister called for closing identified gaps where the need is greatest and the impact is visible and felt by the majority.

He also emphasised the need for greater capacity building and urged parties to bring concrete examples and success stories every year – demonstrating high-impact mitigation, large-scale adaptation and effective delivery of means of implementation.