The world leaders’ summit that opens COP climate conferences is a political spotlight moment. And when the attendance of heads of state is as low as reported at Belém, Brazil, on 11–12 November (50 or less out of 198), you wonder how serious world leaders are about the climate crisis.

Among the most conspicuous absentees at COP30 are Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi. But there is still a difference between Modi’s non-appearance and Xi’s or Trump’s — all leaders of large countries, all among the world’s biggest polluters.

Despite Xi’s absence, China is the toast of COP30 for becoming a global leader in renewable energy, achieving its wind and solar power targets ahead of its 2030 commitment. It is also spearheading adoption of electric cars. Trump, on the other hand, pulled out of the Paris Agreement, has rolled back many environmental restraints at home, has promoted ‘clean coal’, and will be remembered for his ‘drill, baby, drill’ exhortations.

Modi has been in power since 2014. He inherited India’s commitments in Kyoto (1997) and Copenhagen (2009) to save the environment, and he signed India up........

© National Herald