BLOG | CLIMATE DIPLOMACY | INDIA

India’s climate diplomacy calls for preparing appropriate risk assessment and risk management strategies at a global strategic level. In recent times, India’s climate diplomacy has priortised both its global and regional climate actions with partners worldwide in terms of diplomatic dialogues, public diplomacy and external policy instruments.

In last five years, India has significantly expanded and diversified its climate diplomacy by acting as a positive force across various levels – multi-lateral, mini-lateral, triangular and bi-lateral tracks. This shows the adaptability and sophistication of the political leadership of the country which is keen to straddle and balance different institutional burdens and priorities.

Leveraging Existing Policy Frameworks

The government of India is committed towards its low carbon strategy leading up to 2030 and 2070 by targeting to achieve half of its electricity requirements from renewable energy and by co-ordinating its institutional capacities to strategically argue its climate diplomacy.

India has leveraged its existing policy frameworks to advance its climate interests by catalysing mitigation and adaptation in terms of renewable energy issues, foreign policy actions, domestic negotiations and revisiting its climate partnerships with neighbouring countries.

To secure its finance, technology and capacity to drive domestic decarbonisation, India has invested considerable resources in engagement by creating new institutions like International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. India is committed to go for long-term institutional engagement with COPs by negotiating its political position in shifting appropriate policy dialogues, strategic choices and institutional capacity to accelerate its green energy transition pathways.

India’s New Climate Identity

In recent time, India has reassessed its climate diplomatic resources, its internal-external policy co-ordination and institutional reforms and has positioned itself as a triangular South-South-North Climate Hub. It transits towards a low-carbon economy through its focus efforts on specific energy sectors and geographies in the form of Asia-Pacific Partnerships on Clean Development and Climate with Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

The Indian political leadership has customized and streamlined its G20 initiatives in the form of a new climate identity of India acting as a bridge between the Global North mitigation-focused agenda and has situated itself as a hub for the co-development of green technologies. The recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabia on energy co-operation, renewable energy, hydrogen and the joint statement with UAE on climate change to generate investments for energy technology, infrastructure, and transportation sector has offered the country to bring its climate mitigation and adaptation policies on a larger economic agenda.

By taking policy initiatives to reduce the cost of capitals for energy projects, and by enhancing the creditworthiness of climate projects by reducing risk and bringing additional sources of capital to the table, India is expanding its larger engagements with international financial institutions to unlock new climate financial flow.

Looking Further

In coming time, India will help its global partners in generating international climate solutions by aligning green climate transition with economic development priorities. The Indian climate leadership is exploring all the possible ways to generate climate finance and institutional innovations to take India’s climate diplomacy to the next level.

By

Prof. Pradeep Nair, PhD, FRAS, FRGS

Professor & Director Research, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, India/Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University, New York, United States.