Climate change is proving a major challenge to all the nations across the world. Yet, a few nations are confined only to taking hollow resolutions without taking any concrete steps to control the damage to the environment. With the revocation of climate disclosure rules and freezing of USAID’s climate programs, developing countries like India need to diversify climate funding sources and deepen regional collaboration.
Let us converse with climate expert Dr Miniya Chatterji, CEO of Sustain Labs Paris, to know the way forward.
1. The U.S. exit from the Paris Agreement under Trump disrupted global climate financing. What lasting challenges do you see in securing international cooperation and funding, and how can India navigate this landscape to accelerate its sustainability efforts?
The US’s exit from the Paris Agreement and the dismantling of key climate initiatives by the government have created uncertainty, impacting global collaboration and financial systems. The revocation of climate disclosure rules, suspension of clean energy grants, and freezing of USAID’s climate programs have weakened the multilateral support systems across countries. This means developing nations now have fewer trusted ways to get climate finance. For India, this disruption highlights the need to diversify climate funding sources and deepen regional collaboration. India will be able to navigate this changed environment by taking an active approach towards the newly emerging climate finance centers such as the UAE, which has pledged $30 billion to global climate action and aims to mobilise $250 billion by 2030. India’s increased bilateral and multilateral ties, as well as its domestic green financing innovations, will be significant in continuing its pace on sustainability objectives.
2. How can Indian corporations strengthen their sustainability credentials to attract institutional investors and embed ESG into long-term business strategies amid this situation?
Like all storms, the current one too will subside at which time the companies that were resilient to the values of sustainable growth will emerge as winners. Indian companies can therefore stand out by leading the way in their resilience with continued transparency and sustainability. They can also voluntarily align with international sustainability reporting frameworks, incorporate ESG into strategic decision-making, and demonstrate leadership in responsible governance. This alignment not only draws in institutional investors seeking stability in these turbulent times within the industry, but also assists in instilling long-term value creation into business models, making Indian companies reliable partners in the global climate transition.
3. How can India capitalize on its renewable energy potential to attract green investments and create large-scale employment in solar, wind, and clean-tech industries?
India’s massive potential for green energy puts it in a key spot as the US pulls back from clean energy development. The US government’s push-back on wind energy growth and cutting clean energy grants creates a gap that India can take advantage of by boosting its investment in the solar, wind, and clean-tech sectors. With favourable geography, increasing demand for energy, and robust government backing, India can attract green capital from across the world by providing a stable regulatory landscape and clear policy signals. Moreover, the renewable industry can create jobs by developing an ecosystem around installation, maintenance, and manufacturing. Training programs on clean-tech skills and public-private partnerships can further enhance employment creation and support a fair and equitable shift towards a low-carbon economy. Also, as we speak, India has surpassed Germany as the third-largest wind and solar power generator, thus reinforcing the country’s potential in renewable energy and clean-tech.
4. Your Climate Leadership Program is designed to cultivate executives who can drive sustainability agendas. Given the unpredictability of U.S. policies, how does the program equip leaders to future-proof their organizations against regulatory and financial uncertainties?
The SLP Climate Leadership Certificate Program gives climate leaders and aspiring climate leaders the knowledge, abilities, networks, guidance and mentorship to identify opportunities in the changing tide and emerge resilient. The program addresses this challenge by giving decision-makers a strong base in climate science, carbon counting, and ways to cut carbon in industry, and then helping them to think in systems, all of which are essential in developing resilience against volatility. It is also a launch pad for all participants in the program to take them to the next level of their leadership journey, through leadership coaching, top faculty from ex-World Economic Forum and EBRD senior leaders, expanding influence through trusted networks, and gaining guidance from mentors in the program.
Participants also gain an enhanced ability to develop forward-thinking business strategies that align with sustainability goals through personal leadership coaching and mentorship for their passion projects. The immersive retreat in Dubai, combined with fully paid immersion in GITEX Impact, allows leaders not only to respond but also to lead their organisation’s contribution to the global transition toward sustainable growth.
5. As Western nations struggle with political and economic roadblocks to achieving their climate goals, does this open an opportunity for Indian businesses to take the lead in setting ambitious net-zero targets and influencing global sustainability standards?
The policy stagnation in Western nations, particularly in the US, has created opportunities for developing economies like India to spearhead the climate change agenda. The withdrawal of the US from clean energy development and environmental justice initiatives creates opportunities for Indian companies to step into the leadership gap by committing to science-based net-zero targets and advancing sustainable innovations. Indian businesses possess the size, creativity, and increasingly, the geopolitical clout to shape international sustainability norms, especially in clean energy, mobility, and agriculture. This is an opportunity for India Inc. to meet national sustainability targets while shaping global discussions on climate justice and inclusivity, thus positioning India as a key participant in defining a future net-zero world.
6. Given the evolving climate policy landscape, India can be positioned as a sustainability-driven economic powerhouse, and what strategies do you see for accelerating corporate climate action?
India’s capacity to combine economic growth with sustainability and climate reforms positions it to become a climate-forward economic superpower. With global policy uncertainty, India can drive corporate action on climate change by implementing well-defined regulatory policies, sustainability disclosures, and incentives for low-carbon technologies. A strategy that syncs corporate agendas with national climate goals – through channels such as green taxonomy, carbon markets, and sustainable finance platforms – will propel a quicker transition to climate-aligned business practices. Also, by promoting innovation hubs around climate-tech and tapping into its demographic dividend through skill enhancement in green employment, India can integrate sustainability into its growth narrative. This forward-looking positioning achieves domestic resilience and raises India’s position as a global climate leader.
Source link
[ad_3]
[ad_4]