Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took a selfie with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. In a social media post, Meloni referred to Modi as a “good friend” and used the hashtag #Melodi. This meeting between the two leaders comes after Meloni’s visit to Delhi in September for the G20 summit.
During the summit, PM Modi had the opportunity to meet and discuss various issues with several world leaders. Some of the leaders he met include Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Turkey President RT Erdogan, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.
PM Modi had a busy schedule as he addressed four sessions at the UN climate change conference. According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, PM Modi discussed ways to promote clean and green growth during these sessions. He also had discussions on bilateral and regional interests with many leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
The global climate negotiations have recently focused on reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The COP26 summit in Glasgow agreed to “phasedown” unfiltered coal power and the “phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.” This has led to a growing momentum towards moving away from all fossil fuels. Christiana Figueres, the UN’s former climate chief, expressed optimism about achieving climate goals due to the surge in renewables and electric vehicles.
In his speech at COP28, PM Modi called for global collaboration in drastically cutting emissions. He also announced a “green credit” initiative that aims to create carbon sinks with people’s participation. PM Modi highlighted that India’s carbon emissions are low compared to its population size. He stated that India’s population is 17% of the global population but its carbon emissions account for only 4%. PM Modi emphasized that India is making progress in achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets and urged every nation to work sincerely towards meeting their own NDC targets.
Overall, the COP28 summit provided an opportunity for world leaders to discuss and collaborate on climate issues, with PM Modi actively participating and advocating for global action.
