Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference ?
Approach · directive: “describe / what”
What it asks · Describe the main outcomes of COP26 (the Glasgow Climate Pact) and state the commitments India announced there.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Describe the major outcomes of COP26: the Glasgow Climate Pact and related decisions
- State the commitments India made at COP26: the Panchamrit, the demands and initiatives that went with it, and how the updated NDC followed
Open with · COP26 in Glasgow (November 2021) had two jobs: keep the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal within reach and finish its rulebook; the Glasgow Climate Pact did both only partly.
Cover
- Ambition: Parties asked to revisit and strengthen 2030 NDC targets by end-2022 to align with the Paris temperature goal (Pact, para 29).
- Fossil fuels: first COP text naming coal, calling for a phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient subsidies; phase-out became phase-down late.
- Finance: deliver the $100 billion a year goal; at least double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025 (para 18).
- Rulebook and loss and damage: Article 6 carbon-market rules and transparency formats finalised; a Glasgow Dialogue, no fund.
- Panchamrit: 500 GW non-fossil capacity and 50% of energy requirements from renewables by 2030; one billion tonnes cut; 45% intensity cut; net zero by 2070.
- Demands and initiatives: $1 trillion climate finance, LIFE, GGI-OSOWOG with the UK.
- Follow-through: updated NDC (August 2022) commits a 45% intensity cut from 2005 and about 50% non-fossil installed power capacity by 2030; pledges still short of 1.5°C, India rests on equity and CBDR.
Close with · Glasgow kept 1.5°C alive but deferred delivery and fairness; India's path from Panchamrit to its 2022 NDC shows ambition that now needs the adaptation finance Glasgow promised to double.
Add value (verified)
- The Glasgow Climate Pact text calls for accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.Decision -/CMA.3, Glasgow Climate Pact (advance unedited version), UNFCCC ↗“including accelerating efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”
- The Prime Minister's National Statement at COP26 (November 2021) states the first three Panchamrit pledges verbatim: 500 GW non-fossil capacity, 50% of energy requirements from renewables and a one-billion-tonne cut in projected emissions, all by 2030.National Statement by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at COP26 Summit in Glasgow, PIB (Prime Minister's Office), November 2021 ↗“First - India will reach its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. Second - India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030. Third - India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now onwards till 2030.”
- The same statement gives the fourth and fifth pledges: carbon intensity of the economy cut by 45% by 2030 and net zero by 2070.National Statement by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at COP26 Summit in Glasgow, PIB (Prime Minister's Office), November 2021 ↗“Fourth - By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 percent. And fifth- by the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero.”
- Glasgow Climate Pact, paragraph 29: Parties requested to revisit and strengthen their 2030 NDC targets by the end of 2022 to align with the Paris temperature goal.UNFCCC: Glasgow Climate Pact, decision -/CMA.3 (advance unedited version) ↗“requests Parties to revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets in their nationally determined contributions as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022”
- Glasgow Climate Pact, paragraph 18: developed countries urged to at least double adaptation finance to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025.UNFCCC: Glasgow Climate Pact, decision -/CMA.3 (advance unedited version) ↗“Urges developed country Parties to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing country Parties from 2019 levels by 2025”
- India's updated NDC (Cabinet, 3 August 2022): emissions intensity of GDP down 45% by 2030 from 2005, and about 50% of cumulative installed power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.PIB, Cabinet (3 August 2022): Cabinet approves India's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to be communicated to the UNFCCC ↗“As per the updated NDC, India now stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level and achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.”
- The same decision frames LIFE, 'Lifestyle for Environment', as a mass movement and the NDC as a step towards net zero by 2070.PIB, Cabinet (3 August 2022): Cabinet approves India's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to be communicated to the UNFCCC ↗“A step towards achieving India’s long term goal of reaching net-zero by 2070 India now stands committed to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030 Prime Minister’s concept of mass movement for ‘LIFE’– ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ as a key to combating climate change”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 361words · Minimalist IAS
COP26 in Glasgow (November 2021) had two jobs: keep the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal within reach and finish its rulebook. The Glasgow Climate Pact and a set of national pledges did both only partly.
Major outcomes of COP26
- Ambition: Parties were asked to 'revisit and strengthen' their 2030 targets by the end of 2022 to align with the Paris temperature goal.
- Coal and subsidies: the first COP text to name fossil fuels, calling for a 'phasedown of unabated coal power' and the phase-out of inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies; 'phase-out' of coal became 'phase-down' at the last moment.
- Finance: developed countries were urged to deliver the $100 billion a year goal and to at least double adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025.
- Rulebook: Article 6 carbon-market rules and transparency reporting formats were finalised, closing the Paris rulebook.
- Loss and damage: a Glasgow Dialogue was created, but no fund.
Commitments made by India: the Panchamrit
- Capacity and share: 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030, and 50% of energy requirements from renewables by 2030.
- Emissions: a cut of one billion tonnes in projected emissions by 2030 and a 45% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030.
- Net zero by 2070.
- Demands and initiatives: $1 trillion in climate finance at the earliest; LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment) as a one-word movement; the Green Grids Initiative, One Sun One World One Grid, with the UK.
- Follow-through: India's updated NDC (August 2022) formalised two pledges: a 45% cut in emissions intensity from 2005 levels and about 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, with LIFE as a mass movement.
| Pledge | Glasgow Panchamrit (2021) | Updated NDC (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-fossil power | 500 GW capacity by 2030 | about 50% of installed capacity by 2030 |
| Emissions intensity | 45% cut by 2030 | 45% cut from 2005 level by 2030 |
| Net zero | 2070 | long-term goal of 2070 |
Assessment
- Gap: pledges still fall short of 1.5°C; India's 2070 date is later than others' but rests on equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and finance.
Glasgow kept 1.5°C alive but deferred delivery and fairness; India's path from the Panchamrit to its 2022 NDC shows ambition that now needs the adaptation finance Glasgow promised to double.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
