Never mind US policy wobbles, India should keep the global climate agenda front and centre
Is Trump’s climate scepticism taking effect? The International Energy Agency has scaled back its renewable capacity projection. India, though, is on track to meet its 2030 targets. With some effort, it could vie with China for climate leadership.
Given US President Donald Trump’s scepticism of climate change, a slowdown in the world’s green transition was widely feared. Those concerns are showing up in the numbers.
On Tuesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) slashed its forecast for global renewable power add-ons to 4,600 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 from 5,500GW. That’s a cut of more than 16%. Why? Its projections for America and China have slumped.
In the US, federal tax incentives have been phased out early, while in China, Beijing has moved from fixed tariffs to competitive auctions, intensifying competition and making projects less attractive.
Unfortunately, with Trump openly dismissive of the climate crisis, we may see US policies turn even less favourable. That could mean further setbacks to global transition goals.
Notably, India is on track to achieve its climate targets for 2030 and poised to become the second-largest growth market after China, as the IEA notes.
Regardless of Trump’s denial of the science-backed imperative to reduce carbon emissions, the rest of the world must stay on course to avert disaster and India should vie with China for leadership of a mission that must not fail.
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