No climate for cooperation: India-US climate relations during the Trump years

Abstract

Since the start of multilateral climate negotiations, India and the US have been on opposite sides of the aisle on the issue of responsibility for climate action. Following years of intense scrutiny, India found points of convergence with the US and worked closely with the Obama administration to help secure a global deal at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. The Trump era, however, marked a period of stark divergence between India and the US on the issue of climate change. The US’ climate inaction at the multilateral level under the Trump administration was met with India’s proactive global leadership in the fight against climate change. At the same time, the bilateral relationship saw greater convergence on the issue of energy trade, particularly conventional sources of energy such as coal, oil and gas. This essay analyzes India-US climate relations during the Trump years and argues that the personal views of the political leadership and domestic interest groups affected the nature of this relationship, which is best described as divergence on climate change but convergence on energy security.