SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 15: Life on Land
Institutions: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change | Ministry of External Affairs
At the Leaders’ Summit of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, India joined the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as an Observer, signalling its support for a new multilateral mechanism that rewards nations for conserving standing tropical forests. The TFFF—proposed by Brazil and backed by several Global South nations—aims to create a permanent, interest-yielding fund dedicated to preserving tropical forests worldwide, thereby linking forest stewardship directly with predictable, performance-based financing.
India welcomed the initiative as a step toward equitable climate finance under the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), emphasising that sustainable funding, technology access, and capacity-building are vital for developing economies to balance ecological protection with developmental needs.
In its national statement, India reiterated its own achievements:
36 % reduction in GDP emission intensity (2005–2020);
Over 50 % of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources;
Carbon-sink creation of 2.29 billion tonnes CO₂-equivalent between 2005–21.
India’s participation in TFFF builds on its domestic initiatives such as the Green Credit Programme, the National Mission for a Green India, and the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) campaign, aligning domestic policy instruments with global forest-conservation efforts.
By joining the TFFF, India strengthens its leadership in South-South climate cooperation and underscores the importance of forests as climate assets. The move aligns India’s forest-based mitigation goals with global financing frameworks and provides a diplomatic platform to advocate for predictable, long-term funding for tropical countries—beyond conventional carbon markets or donor-based aid. For policymakers, this integration of forest-economy, finance and equity offers a roadmap to embed nature-based solutions within national and sub-national climate plans.
What is the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)? → The TFFF is a Brazil-led global fund mechanism proposed at COP30 to reward countries for keeping tropical forests intact, rather than only paying for reduced deforestation. It seeks to raise around US $125 billion in blended capital (public and private) to create a permanent endowment, investing the corpus and using the interest yields to make annual payments to tropical-forest nations that meet verified conservation targets. Payments are based on forest area maintained, verified through satellite monitoring and independent audits, with a share directed to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as custodians of forest lands.
Why It Matters→ Tropical forests absorb about one-third of global emissions and anchor biodiversity and rainfall systems, yet remain undervalued economically. The TFFF represents a shift from donor aid to long-term, performance-linked forest finance, treating conservation as a global public good. It also illustrates a growing contest between financialisation and equity in climate governance: while it promises stable funding, critics warn of market exposure and weak community safeguards.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India leverage its observer role in the TFFF to co-design equitable forest-finance mechanisms that reward conservation outcomes while supporting livelihood security and state-level forest governance?
Follow the full release here: India Backs Brazil’s ‘Tropical Forests Forever’ Initiative, Joins as Observer