COP31

In the news

• India to push for predictable climate finance and an equitable transition at COP31 4 November 2026 · The Hindu

  Finance first, no new targets: what India will fight for at the climate summit in Antalya.

• UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2026: overshooting 1.5°C is now unavoidable 23 October 2026 · Indian Express

  The world's 1.5°C promise will be broken. Can warming still be pulled back down by 2100?

• At pre-COP31 talks in Fiji, India says climate action has no 'one-size-fits-all' path 7 October 2026 · The Hindu

  Ahead of COP31, why does India want adaptation and finance to get as much attention as emission cuts?

Key facts

• COP31 of the UNFCCC is in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. (4 November 2026)
• India's top priority is a Climate Finance Work Programme on developed countries' obligation under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. (4 November 2026)
• UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2026, 'The Point of Return', released on 21 October 2026, says breaching 1.5°C is unavoidable. (23 October 2026)
• The lowest-overshoot path peaks at 1.7 to 1.8°C around mid-century and returns below 1.5°C by 2100. (23 October 2026)
• At pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, India said adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation must receive equal attention and CBDR-RC must be upheld. (7 October 2026)
• COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026; Türkiye hosts while Australia's Chris Bowen presides over negotiations. (7 October 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2025 · GS1 · 10 marks How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples.
2. 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks 'Clean energy is the order of the day.' Describe briefly India's changing policy towards climate change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics.
3. 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks Should the pursuit of carbon credits and clean development mechanisms set up under UNFCCC be maintained even though there has been a massive slide in the value of a carbon credit? Discuss with respect to India's energy…
4. 2016 · Prelims With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in…