India has withdrawn its offer to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028, which was formally claimed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a global meeting three years ago, with the backing of several frontline countries. The information was first shared by Climate Home News on Wednesday, which was subsequently verified by The Telegraph independently from several sources, who wished to remain unidentified. The withdrawal came as a surprise, as India had been using the proposed COP to position itself as the leader of the Global South in climate matters. Incidentally, India had organised a climate COP only once in 2002. “Maybe India believes the COP will bring additional pressure on the country to deliver more on the climate front, which it does not want,” added another source.

Source: The Telegraph April 09, 2026 01:21 UTC