India, Nov. 21 -- As India prepares to host the UN Climate Change Conference in 2028, Brazil's experience staging COP30 in the Amazon offers both encouragement and a sobering reality check: expect to spend upwards of $1.2 billion in federal funds alone and devote years to preparation.

India formally expressed its intention to host COP33 in 2028, with the Union environment ministry establishing a dedicated COP33 cell under its Climate Change Division in July to address the specialised requirements. The World Economic Forum has said a COP in India "would highlight how development and decarbonisation can advance together, rather than in conflict" and "embodies the global south's determination to shape its climate destiny".

But what will it...