India's position in international climate negotiations: no shift under Modi

Abstract

International negotiations over a post-2020 climate agreement have brought increased calls for India to participate in climate protection efforts. India is currently in a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, in demanding financial and technological support for climate policy, India shares the same interests as most of the developing countries. On the other hand, its rapid economic growth has made it one of the world’s leading emitters of greenhouse gases. Yet in contrast to China, which announced in 2014 that it would start cutting its emissions around 2030, India does not see itself as having any obligation to take on more international responsibility for climate protection. Its pledges for the December 2015 climate summit in Paris will therefore be moderate. Industrialized countries can at least indirectly contribute to improving climate protection in India by further expanding their bilateral cooperation in the energy and environmental sector. (author's abstract)