CoP-30: Is India prepared for a moment of reckoning?

As the world prepares for CoP-30 in Belém, Brazil, the climate agenda faces both exhaustion and urgency.

- AJIT RANADE & PRACHI PRIYA

Global warming has already breached the 1.5° Celsius threshold in several regions. Extreme floods, droughts and heatwaves are testing our resilience. Yet, geopolitics, fiscal strains and energy insecurity continue to shadow climate talks. The US under President Donald Trump is retreating from multilateral commitments. China is expanding green technology and leading the world on solar panels, EVs and wind turbines. The EU is focusing on green regulation and carbon border adjustment measures, its trade mechanism that penalizes poorer countries in the guise of climate action. Amid this maze, India must craft its own middle path to anchor its development priorities while also helping reduce harmful emissions. India has come a long way—from a cautious participant at CoP-15 to a pragmatic deal-maker at CoP-26. Now, it could emerge as an assertive rule-maker at CoP-30, with climate-trade diplomacy in focus. India's CoP-30 challenge is to redefine its leadership, not through rhetoric on equity and climate justice alone, but institutional innovation, just frameworks and credible action plans that balance our growth with sustainability.