New Delhi: COP30 President Andre Corrêa do Lago has praised India and China for playing a transformative role in the global energy transition, saying both countries have embraced climate action “in a very clear way” and are driving down the cost of clean technologies worldwide.
Addressing a press conference at the opening of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, do Lago said China has “embraced this agenda in an extraordinary way” by combining scale, technology and affordability, three crucial ingredients that have accelerated the world’s progress towards cleaner energy systems.
He said both China and India are shaping the future of the global energy transition.
“China has very advanced technology and has a scale that can only be compared to India. And India is somehow doing the same, because they also have brilliant companies and engineers and incredible people. They are going in the same direction,” he said in response to a question on China’s contribution to the fight against climate change
Do Lago emphasised China’s leadership in clean technology manufacturing, particularly in electric vehicles, solar panels, wind energy and battery production.
“I don’t need to say how important China has become for electric vehicles, for solar panels, for wind, for batteries. Thanks to their scale, by lowering the price of all these essential elements in the transition, they are at the same time doing an amazing job of international cooperation,” he said.
He said China’s massive scale has helped reduce the cost of key green technologies, creating ripple effects across the world.
“If the solar panel now costs ninety per cent less than a few years ago, many more people in the developing world can afford them. And somehow, you need fewer resources to get this done in many countries in the world, thanks to the price reduction. And then you can do other things in developing countries,” he added.
“So, we are going to have two major markets which will lower the price of this transition because both countries have embraced this transition in a very clear way,” the COP30 president said.
COP30, which marks a decade since the Paris Agreement, is taking place amid heightened geopolitical tensions, ongoing wars and economic uncertainty triggered by US tariffs.
The United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, along with several developed countries re-evaluating their climate commitments amid economic and energy security concerns, has created a challenging backdrop for this year’s climate talks.
Hence, a fair and ambitious outcome at COP30 will be important to reaffirm trust in multilateralism.
It is also the moment when countries must submit the next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for the 2031-2035 period. NDCs are national climate plans under the Paris Agreement that set targets to cut emissions and adapt to climate change, guiding global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The world has already heated up by 1.3 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), largely due to burning fossil fuels. The UN Emissions Gap report published last week said that under current policies, the world is on track for 2.8 degrees of warming by 2100.
India is expected to submit its updated NDCs and National Adaptation Plan, which will outline how it will prepare for and cope with the impacts of climate change, at COP30.
Delivering India’s statement at the Leaders’ Summit of COP30 on Friday, Indian Ambassador to Brazil Dinesh Bhatia reaffirmed the country’s commitment to multilateralism and the Paris Agreement.
India said global climate ambition remains inadequate even a decade after the Paris Agreement and called for developed nations to accelerate emission cuts and deliver promised climate finance.
PTI
