India, Nov. 10 -- The 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has just begun in Belem, Brazil. The attention is on how nations translate their climate pledges into concrete action. With rising geopolitical tensions, climate risks and widening ambition gaps, this year's summit is a decisive moment. Countries are expected to submit their third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), outlining global ambition on climate action.

With the COP presidency having returned to a developing country, there is an opportunity for the Global South to seize the climate agenda. The climate crisis has moved beyond numbers and breaking records to actual impact. In South Asia, ...