Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed that India host the 2028 Conference of the Parties. The remarks were delivered during a speech in Dubai at the start of the latest edition of the climate change conference. The Prime Minister also stated that India had met its emission intensity targets 11 years ahead of schedule and was on pace to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution targets.

"Today, India has set an excellent example of ecological and economic balance to the rest of the world." Despite having 17% of the world's population, India contributes less than 4% of global carbon emissions. "India is one of the few economies in the world on track to meet the NDC targets," he said.

At the start of the COP28 high-level section for HoS/HoG, the PM also stated that his country wanted to "reduce emissions intensity by 45% until 2030" and had resolved to expand the share of non-fossil fuel to 50%. India is aiming for net zero emissions by 2070.

What exactly is the Conference of the Parties (COP) summit?

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual UN-hosted meeting that brings together delegates from over 200 countries. Climate change negotiations cycle around areas, attracting tens of thousands of participants, including world leaders and industry executives.

With 80,000 registered participants, this year's gathering in Dubai has officially become the largest UN climate summit ever. For the first time, the registration process recorded their employers and connections, making it easier to discover lobbyists and identify potential conflicts of interest among negotiators. NGOs, for example, claimed that oil and gas lobbyists outnumbered most national delegations at the previous meeting in Egypt.

Nearly 23,500 persons from official government delegations are attending COP28. They are accompanied by 27,208 policy experts, professors, members of professional bodies, and senior executives from oil companies. According to the organizers, about 400,000 people have registered for a day pass to the wide "green zone" surrounding the talks on the site of the Dubai Expo 2020, which has been transformed into a massive fair promoting business and environmental innovation.