India and the Paris Agreement: Climate Commitments

At an international conference organised by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India’s climate-action record and argued that responsibility for carbon emissions has often been disproportionately placed on developing countries.

Paris Agreement → India’s NDCs → Panchamrit → 2030 targets → achievements → 2035 targets → Net Zero 2070 → climate justice

What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted at COP21 in Paris in 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Its central temperature goal is:

Keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.

What are NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions)?

An NDC is a country’s nationally determined climate-action commitment under the Paris Agreement.

They cover measures such as:

• reducing greenhouse-gas emissions
• increasing renewable/non-fossil energy
• carbon sequestration
• adaptation
• climate finance and technology, depending on national circumstances

Key features:

The word “nationally determined” is important.

Countries determine their own contributions based on:

• national circumstances
• development priorities
• capabilities
• available technology
• financial resources

However, the Paris Agreement establishes a framework for progressively increasing ambition.

India’s 2026 updated INDC:

In March 2026, India approved its NDC for 2031–2035, which was subsequently submitted to the UNFCCC.

India’s 2035 targets

India has now committed to:

• Emissions intensity: Reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 47% from the 2005 level by 2035.
• Non-fossil electricity capacity: Achieve 60% cumulative installed electric-power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035.
• Carbon sink: Create an additional carbon sink of 3.5–4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2035, compared with the 2005 baseline.

Mains Practice Question:

Q. The principle of climate justice is central to India’s approach to international climate negotiations.” Discuss in the context of historical responsibility, per capita emissions and the developmental needs of developing countries.