As India prepares to submit its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC) have released a joint brief titled India’s 2035 Climate Target: A Business Opportunity for Growth and Global Leadership in New Delhi. The document builds on WMBC’s 2024 global Call to Action and presents a framework that links India’s development priorities and adaptation needs with its climate ambitions.
The brief emphasizes the pivotal role of the private sector in advancing India’s climate targets, including reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieving 50 percent of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources. It calls for stronger collaboration between government and business to accelerate climate-resilient growth, underpinned by mobilization of both public and private capital. The authors argue that India’s next NDC can provide a practical, investible pathway for future climate ambition by aligning policy with real-world technological progress and business-led initiatives.
While highlighting the importance of national targets, the brief stresses that real progress will depend on sector-specific policies and long-term strategies that give businesses confidence to commit to clean energy transitions. It notes India’s unique opportunity to position itself as a global hub for low-carbon solutions, spanning renewable energy, electric mobility, bioeconomy, green hydrogen, and other decarbonization technologies. With its expanding innovation ecosystem, strong industrial base, and skilled workforce, India is well placed to compete in the global green economy.
Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, remarked, “The launch of the policy brief is timely and important as the country moves forward with its NDC targets. We look forward to the suggestions from the industry sectors to bridge the gap between ambition and on-ground implementation. We should be the champions of India and help the domestic as well as the global players by developing a roadmap to cater to the sectors.”
Mr RR Rashmi, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, mentioned, “We are at a critical stage, where it is important to understand what businesses expect so that growth oriented low carbon policies can be drafted in tune with our potential and opportunities. India’s performance has been considerable amongst the top five G20 countries. The Indian industries have proved worthy of the expectation the government has of them. Therefore, there is a requirement for a strong collaboration between the businesses, government and other stakeholders.”
At the same time, the document acknowledges challenges such as policy uncertainty, financing barriers, and capacity gaps in planning and implementation, particularly at the state and small-industry levels. To address these, it recommends predictable policy signals, sector-specific targets, pipelines of investible projects, and deepened government-business partnerships.
India’s growing influence as a voice of the Global South gives additional weight to its climate commitments. The brief positions India’s next NDC not only as a national strategy but also as a potential model for other emerging economies to balance development and sustainability. With platforms such as the G20, BRICS, and COP30, India has an opportunity to showcase its climate ambition as integral to broader national priorities while harnessing private sector innovation and capital.
Mr Andrew Prag, Managing Director – Policy, WMBC, underlined the global relevance of India’s approach and the role of enabling conditions, said, “India’s private sector is already demonstrating real leadership in clean energy and innovation. Further unleashing this dynamism requires an ambitious 2035 climate target backed by stable, sector-specific policies. This will give businesses the long-term confidence to scale investment, unlock green jobs, and drive India’s global competitiveness.”
Dr Ashok Kumar, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, in his special address mentioned, “As regulator and facilitator we have partnered with businesses and seen that the industries in the energy sector have taken the targets to a tremendous level of competency. It is encouraging to see that India is the only G20 country well within target towards achieving the targets set during the Paris Agreement. Hence, we need to develop the climate target to address the climate crisis.”
During the interactive session, Mr Dhiraj Kumar Srivastava, Chief Engineer, Ministry of Power, Government of India and Nominee Director, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd also added, “As representatives of fast changing and developing sector which comprises of electricity and energy sector as a whole, we feel buildings and the cooling sector also should be a part of the policy brief, particularly with the government’s focus on the cooling action plan.”
Ms Manjari Chaturvedi, Chief Engineer, Clean Energy and Energy Transitions, Central Electricity Authority explained, “The next NDC will be decided on the capacity of renewable energy (RE) in the power sector and the storage capacity. The storage facility should be there to reduce the curtailment of power in addition to providing power during the non-RE hours.” “Integration, storage and capacity building needs to be done to achieve the targets,” she added.
The launch event brought together senior business leaders and policy experts, who reinforced the urgency of aligning industrial efforts with India’s net-zero vision. The brief outlines a roadmap anchored in flagship national missions such as FAME, PM E-DRIVE, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission, while advocating for tools like carbon capture, green taxonomy, and sector-specific transition goals to accelerate decarbonization.
Ultimately, the report underlines the importance of institutionalizing business participation in climate policymaking. It argues that an ambitious, well-designed NDC can deliver the policy certainty needed for large-scale investments, reduce risks for businesses, and ensure India’s competitiveness in the global clean energy transition. This marks a critical step in translating India’s long-term climate vision into measurable outcomes through strong public-private partnerships and momentum from the real economy.
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