Don’t Ask India for a Net-Zero Pledge
Instead, countries that can afford to fund their own decarbonization should look for ways to funnel money to emerging nations so they, too, can speed up their energy transitions.
India can’t give up coal yet.
Photographer: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
In the runup to the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, everyone and their aide wants countries — particularly large developing countries such as India — to commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by a specific date. The European Union and the United States have promised carbon neutrality by 2050. China has given itself 10 years longer.
In India, we view such pledges with the skepticism they deserve. Rather than pushing our leaders to issue a similarly bogus promise, rich countries should think harder about how to accelerate the changes we are prepared to make.