Rethinking India’s Climate Policy and the Global Negotiations

This essay examines India’s position in international negotiations on climate change and domestic mitigation actions, based on scientific evidence and equity. It is argued that India’s stance has largely been reactive to positions taken by developed countries. The paper concludes with a call for a campaign bringing together civil society groups and activists from the South and from the North. Governments and civil society stakeholders need to better understand lessons of climate science, development priorities of the global South, and the imperatives of global as well as national equity. This gap should be bridged if nations of the world are to be pushed towards an effective, equitable climate agreement.