Abstract
Abstract Domestic politics has typically not been a powerful driver of India’s global stance, and domestic climate policy is mostly shaped by international pressure before key multilateral events. This chapter focuses on the spoken word of two Prime Ministers of India—Dr Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi—to highlight the role of political leadership in bringing about a change in the direction of domestic climate policy and India’s external engagement on the issue of climate change. An analysis of the Prime Ministers’ speeches, over two significant periods of climate policymaking in India, suggests a clear shift in the narrative around solar energy. In particular, this chapter illustrates that Prime Minister Modi’s speeches had a stronger emphasis on solar energy and exhibited his personal ambition to lead on the issue of climate change, both in the country and abroad. Ultimately, this chapter argues that Prime Minister Modi’s leadership marks the first instance of India’s domestic politics shaping its position in multilateral climate negotiations. His vision for a new, India-led global effort on solar energy was the primary driver behind the creation of the ISA, and underscores the importance of the political leadership in empowering an international rule-making stance.
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