6 A Shift in India’s Domestic and International Climate Policy?

Abstract

India's long held position in international climate negotiations was based on a mixture of principled, equity-based and pragmatic considerations. The forward-and-backward-changing international posture of the Indian government was internally preceded by a more proactive domestic energy and climate policy. India is indeed highly vulnerable to climate-related events. Climate-friendly policies will therefore be to a greater part the byproduct of policies trying to ensure energy security for India, and of developing an internationally competitive supplier industry for non-conventional energy appliances. This also explains a remarkable shift in the climate stance of Indian business associations, who, before long, were also staunch opponents of any sacrifice of growth for the benefit of the environment. A reason for the meandering course may be the traditional foreign policy baggage of defending hard-won sovereignty, resistance to the pressure of established powers and aligning with the rest of poorer countries. Keywords: climate policy shift; climate-related policies; domestic energy; India; international climate negotiations