India’s climate politics
from defensive stance to active cooperation (1972-2022)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22456/2178-8839.151186Keywords:
India; development; sustainability; climate multilateralism; COP.Abstract
Based on historical-analytical research, this article addresses the course changes in Indian climate policy over a five-decade period from 1972 to 2022. The argument is organized into two axes: the first addresses the formation and evolution of India's climate change policy based on developmentalist, equity, and self-defense assumptions, considering the evolution of domestic and international interests, positions, and debates. The second examines the policies adopted during the Narendra Modi administrations and the contradictions present in their positions, interests, and relationships with the fossil fuel market. In the concluding remarks, we offer an analytical characterization, highlighting the tensions inherent in its trajectory of shift from a defensive stance to active cooperation in climate change negotiations. Our aim is to contribute to a better understanding of India, a country of great relevance to Brazilian foreign policy, which, despite recent bilateral rapprochement, remains little studied in Brazil.
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Accepted 2026-05-29
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