India is no longer inclined to host the COP33 climate conference in 2028, according to official sources.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had offered to host the event during the COP28 summit in Dubai in December 2023, although India never submitted a formal bid.
COP, or Conference of Parties, is the annual meeting of countries that are part of the 1994 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also serves as the meeting of countries signed up to the 2015 Paris Agreement and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Sources said the government has been reconsidering the proposal for about a year. This comes despite the creation last year of a COP33 cell within the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to prepare for hosting duties.
Officials said there was growing concern within the government that hosting and presiding over COP33 would require India to take a leading global role on climate action, which could conflict with some of its own national positions.
COP33 is scheduled to include the second Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement. The review, held every five years, assesses whether countries are on track to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The first Global Stocktake took place at COP28 in Dubai in 2023. The next review at COP33 is expected to increase pressure on countries to strengthen their climate commitments.
Officials said the host country typically faces greater scrutiny over its own climate policies and is expected to help build consensus among countries with differing views. India has taken strong positions on several climate issues in recent years, and there are concerns that hosting the summit could require it to soften some of those positions.