India’s Climate Future Depends on Renewables, Says Bhupender Yadav

As nations juggle economic development with sustainability, India has positioned itself at the forefront, showing that growth and ecological preservation can coexist. At the BS Manthan conclave that took place on February 27, India’s climate vision, which stems from the South and ensures equity in renewable energy technology and finance for developing countries, was delineated by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in an interview with AK Bhattacharya from Business Standard. India's climate vision for the global south certainly prides itself in boasting climate action policies. 

According to the Environment Minister, India’s approach to climate action is sustained by the two interrelated philosophies of Vikas (development) and Vriddhi (progress). Yadav pointed out that energy consumption is the existential condition for any country to stake claim to a good quality of life for citizens, “If you want to give dignified life to people, you need to provide energy to everyone, fulfill consumption needs and provide rock-solid infrastructure. Only then can you achieve human development goals,” he remarked.

Nonetheless, Yadav pointed out that the protection of natural resources is just as important. He argued that India does not only speak about climate action; India acts. Out of the eight Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) pledged at the Paris Agreement by India, three India has already achieved on target, almost a decade (9 years) ahead of schedule. India is the only G20 country to achieve this.

Leadership of Global South and climate justice

While responding to a question regarding India’s posture as a climate leader in the Global South, the minister said, ‘Climate change affects every domestic economy, irrespective of whether it developed or developing, but the emission history rests with the Global North.’ He further underlined that while net-zero targets are extremely important, energy should not be a luxury for the wealthy.

“Developing economies require assistance in financial and technological domains from the developed world,” stressed Yadav, whose comments support India’s highly sensitive position on climate justice.

Beyond that, he said that India has gone beyond mere talk and put in place actual climate action to resolve the problem. These include the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with France, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) with the United Kingdom, and the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LEAD-IT) with Sweden. All these are attempts aimed at narrowing the North-South gap through technology and resilience building.

Stopping the use of coal while shifting towards renewable energy sources. 

One of the more difficult ones to confront is the continued dependence on coal in developing economies such as India. Yadav stated, and I quote “When we increase our renewable energy capacity, coal usage will automatically go down,” He also made it clear that the transition away from coal is not one that can be done through an outright elimination but instead through a more methodical approach. 

India’s green hydrogen, solar power and energy efficiency investments are aimed at slowly moving away from a coal-based economy while still retaining energy security and economic growth. The minister said the government is aggressively increasing the country's renewable energy ambitions so that clean energy is not just a statement but attainable. 

And as COP33 approaches and India is ready to host it, Yadav stated that “Our aim is to push for environmentally sustainable practices across the globe without compromising the economic hopes of developing nations.” 

On the subject on rules for protection of the environment and forestry, Yadav stated that, “A potential solution to this can be found in technological intervention. A single Parivesh portal has managed to decrease the time period for granting environmental clearances. The portal also increases transparency.”