India, April 9 -- India withdrew its offer to host the COP33 climate summit in 2028 a few days ago, sources have told Down To Earth (DTE). The offer had been formally announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a global meeting in 2023 and had received the backing of several frontline countries.

"It's true," a senior official from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) confirmed to DTE in response to a query on April 8 evening. "The matter was under consideration for some time and only recently was the formal decision about withdrawal conveyed," confirmed another senior ministry official. A query by this correspondent to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav went unanswered. As of 8.30 am on April 9, ...