Look beyond old climate fault lines

Confronting the climate crisis with greater urgency is in India’s own developmental and strategic interests.

India is among a small group of countries that have made steady progress in meeting their Paris commitments.

2 min readNov 5, 2026 06:10 AM IST First published on: Nov 5, 2026 at 06:10 AM IST

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav’s statement ahead of the 31st climate COP in Antalya, Turkey, is significant. “India is yet to decide on pledging support for a proposed global ‘35 by 2035’ electrification target, and every country has to take into account its sovereignty and poverty-eradication programmes,” he said. The “35 by 35” target is a global energy initiative proposed by the COP’s co-presidencies, Turkey and Australia. It envisages scaling up electricity’s share in global energy use, from 23 per cent in 2023 to 35 per cent by 2035. Several developed countries also support electrification as a low-hanging fruit in the transition away from fossil fuels. India, in contrast, has prioritised renewables. As underlined by Yadav, Delhi hasn’t committed to allocating a fixed share of electricity in its energy mix. Its emphasis on national circumstances is reasonable, given that developing countries face weaker grids, financially stressed utilities and limited capacity to invest in new technologies. At the same time, India should heed the changing contours of climate diplomacy.

India is among a small group of countries that have made steady progress in meeting their Paris commitments. However, its record of early delivery, particularly on energy-related targets, has invited criticism that India’s targets themselves are not sufficiently ambitious. This critique is unfair. Not only does it underplay the bottlenecks in developed countries on renewables, but it also pays short shrift to the Global North’s persistent failure to honour its financial and technology commitments.

Yet, confronting the climate crisis with greater urgency is in India’s own developmental and strategic interests. Climate action also offers Delhi an opportunity to seek leadership of the Global South. It stewards institutions like the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster-Resilient Infrastructure. At COP31 and beyond, it needs to find ways to leverage their full potential.