The Aryavarth Express New Delhi, April 9: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday criticised the Centre’s decision to withdraw India’s bid to host the 33rd Conference of the Parties (COP33) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2028, raising concerns over the government’s commitment to climate action.
Jairam Ramesh questioned the Narendra Modi-led government’s dedication to the goals of the Paris Agreement, arguing that the sudden withdrawal sends the wrong signal about India’s climate ambitions. He also alleged that the earlier proposal to host COP33 may have been intended to generate political mileage ahead of the 2029 general elections.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh recalled that the Prime Minister had announced India’s intention to host the global climate summit in 2028 during the COP28 meeting in Dubai in December 2023. He said the reversal of that decision, without any official explanation, raises questions about policy consistency.
He further suggested that hosting COP33 could have placed greater responsibility on India to push for stronger climate commitments, especially with the expected release of the next assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change around that time.
Jairam Ramesh also criticised past remarks by the Prime Minister on climate change, calling them inconsistent with the urgency of the issue.
According to sources in the Environment Ministry, India formally communicated its decision to withdraw the hosting proposal to the Asia-Pacific group on April 2. India had earlier expressed interest in hosting the summit during the high-level segment of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.
The government has not yet publicly detailed the reasons behind the move.
