New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- India has finalised its first national adaptation plan which is likely to be unveiled ahead of or at the UN Climate Meeting (COP30) at Belem, Brazil, those aware of the matter said. The national adaptation plan and an update to India's nationally determined contribution (NDC) for the 2035 period are currently under review and expected to be taken up for Cabinet approval very soon, those aware of the matter said. The NAP will be a flagship document which will cover all sectors and include projections for finance needed to implement the plan, people in the know said. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav had told HT in an interview on the occasion of World Environment Day that the NAP is "a strategic initiative to enhance the country's resilience to climate change impacts. The NAP represents a major step forward in aligning adaptation planning with India's national development priorities and global climate commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. The core objective of the NAP is to protect lives, ecosystems, and livelihoods by supporting: 1. understanding of current and future climate risks and vulnerabilities 2. identifying medium- and long-term priorities for climate adaptation 3. establishing systems, policies, measures and capacities to ensure strengthened adaptation planning, budgeting and implementation." There is no confirmation yet on whether PM Modi will be attending the leaders' summit to be held in Belem on November 6 and 7. "That is still being discussed as these important decisions may be announced by the PM," an official said. India has been impacted by a spate of extreme climate events for a few years now, including deadly heat events in 2024 that may have killed hundreds and several extreme rain events in the western and eastern Himalayas this monsoon. The NAP will be a key document addressing these concerns, officials said. "The most important thing India needs to do by COP30 is communicate its adaptation strategy and NDC 3.0 . In the leadership vacuum created by USA's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement all countries have to come together to uphold multilateralism. Enhanced ambition in India's NDC is critical to create a positive momentum and deliver on the COP30 action agenda," said Vaibhav Chaturvedi, senior fellow at Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). An observer said, the Brazil cop holds immense importance in view of South-South solidarity and hence it is also an important platform for India. This is especially in view of the US withdrawal from Paris Agreement; backtracking on several key climate policies and the ongoing tariff negotiations with several countries. India has already achieved one of its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, 5 years in advance. India has crossed its target of installing 50% of its power capacity from non-fossil sources, the union cabinet said in July. "In the decade since Paris, we've written the rules, set new goals, and created new mechanisms, but the gap between ambition and implementation has only widened. If we keep depositing commitments without delivering outcomes, the climate architecture risks a run on its own bank. For South Asia, where the costs of inaction are already visible in lives and livelihoods, delivery cannot wait..," said Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, CEEW and COP30 Special Envoy for South Asia. CEEW analysis shows that among the top 10 countries leading cooperative climate initiatives, most are from the Global North or have hosted COPs in the last decade-such as the United Kingdom, UAE, Egypt, Azerbaijan, and France. The notable exception in the top ten is India, having co-led at least eight major international initiatives...