New Delhi, May 15 — Arunabha Ghosh, the CEO of Delhi-based climate and energy think tank CEEW, has been named the South Asia envoy for the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), set to be held in Brazil this November.
Ghosh joins a distinguished group of eight international envoys representing key global regions. These envoys will play a pivotal role in enhancing dialogue and ensuring that the interests and perspectives of their respective regions are prominently reflected in the climate summit’s outcomes.
The list of envoys includes notable figures such as Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Patricia Espinosa, former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC; Laurence Tubiana, France’s Climate Change Ambassador; and Adnan Amin, the first Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Speaking on his appointment, Ghosh highlighted the urgent and complex nature of the current climate crisis.
“Climate disruptions are accelerating globally, driven by geopolitics, technological shifts, and looming planetary tipping points,” he stated. “The burdens of rising debt, devastating disasters, slowing development progress, and the urgent need for decarbonisation signal a critical need for new paradigms.”
He emphasized that COP30 offers a vital opportunity for global collaboration. “We must move from setting targets to accelerating implementation; from top-down policies to bottom-up resilience; from centralised systems to distributed leadership; and from linear climate action models to more adaptive, co-dependent approaches,” Ghosh added.
The envoys will serve in their roles voluntarily and in a personal capacity. They are tasked with acting as bridges between the regions they represent and the global climate dialogue, enabling a more responsive and inclusive approach to international climate policymaking.