UPSC Prelims 2025 Q32: COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health

Consider the following statements:

Statement I: At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the 'Declaration on Climate and Health'.

Statement II: The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector.

Statement III: If India's health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
  2. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
  3. Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
  4. Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct

Answer: (c) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I

Statement-wise explanation

  • STATEMENT-I: correct — The COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health was endorsed on 3 December 2023, at the first-ever Health Day of a UN climate conference, in Dubai. 123 countries endorsed it that day. India was not one of them. India stayed out of the declaration at COP28.
  • STATEMENT-II: incorrect — WHO describes the declaration as a voluntary political declaration that is not legally binding. It sits outside the UNFCCC and was not negotiated under it. Signing it creates no legal duty to decarbonise the health sector. It only commits countries to work towards goals such as cutting emissions and waste in health systems. Because Statement II is false, it cannot explain Statement I.
  • STATEMENT-III: correct — According to media reports citing government sources, India's worry was this: cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector, for example from cooling, could limit its ability to meet growing demand for medical services, especially in remote and underserved areas. That is a concern about the resilience and reach of the health-care system. This was the stated reason India did not sign, so Statement III correctly explains Statement I.

How to eliminate

Start with Statement II. It says a 'Declaration' is 'binding' and makes decarbonisation 'mandatory'. At COPs, legally binding obligations come through treaties and decisions of the Parties, such as the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris Agreement. Side declarations launched by a COP Presidency, such as the Global Methane Pledge or this health declaration, are voluntary. The words 'binding' and 'mandatory' should make you suspicious. Once Statement II is ruled out, the two options that need both II and III to be correct drop away. That leaves 'only one correct' or 'neither correct'. Statement III is a cautious 'may be compromised' claim. It fits India's usual line that development needs, here a growing health system, must not be held back by emission-cutting commitments. To pick between the last two options, remember one fact: India refused to sign because of concerns about meeting health-care demand, not because the declaration was binding.

Know more

COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health (3 December 2023)

COP28 in Dubai (30 November–13 December 2023) held the first Health Day and the first climate-health ministerial at a UN climate conference. The COP28 Presidency and WHO launched a declaration there. 123 countries endorsed it on day one.

What signatories agree to work towards

  • Health systems that can anticipate and adapt to climate-sensitive diseases and risks (heat, air pollution, infectious disease).
  • Lower carbon emissions and less waste in the health sector.
  • A One Health approach linking human, animal and environmental health.
  • More finance for climate-health action.

Binding vs voluntary at a COP

Instrument Example Legal status
Treaty under UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement Binding (Paris: binding procedures; NDC targets nationally set)
COP decision Global Stocktake outcome (COP28) Agreed by consensus of Parties
Presidency-led declaration/pledge Climate & Health Declaration, Global Methane Pledge Voluntary, non-binding

India's position India did not endorse the declaration. Its reported concern was that emission cuts in health care, including cooling, could hold back a health system that is still expanding to reach rural and underserved people. This follows India's general stance under common but differentiated responsibilities: adaptation and development come first, and mitigation should match national circumstances.

India does work on climate and health at home. Its National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) has run since 2019. It covers heat-related illness, air pollution and green, climate-resilient health facilities, and Indian Public Health Standards 2022 include green-hospital principles.

In the news

COP28's first Health Day and the declaration that India stayed out of were widely reported in December 2023. Related COP28 outcomes, such as the first Global Stocktake and the loss and damage fund, kept COP28 in the news through 2024.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Common but differentiated responsibilities: India's climate-health stance draws on equity and national circumstances, the logic behind Statement III's claim about health-system resilience.
  • Paris Agreement: A benchmark for a legally binding COP treaty, useful for judging what Statement II says about the declaration's legal status.

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