Overview
- The Union Cabinet approved India's updated Paris pledge, known as NDC 3.0, with a 47% cut in emissions intensity from 2005 levels by 2035, 60% of installed power capacity from non‑fossil sources, and a larger carbon sink of 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes to be submitted to the UN climate body.
- New data show India’s CO2 output rose just 0.7% in 2025 as power‑sector emissions fell 3.8% thanks to record clean‑energy additions and softer demand, with coal power generation declining for the first time since 1973 outside the Covid slump.
- India still plans a major fossil push with 100 GW of new coal capacity over seven years and expanded steel, cement and petrochemicals, reflecting a dual‑track strategy that prioritizes reliable supply for growth.
- The Central Electricity Authority projects non‑fossil capacity could approach 70% by 2035–36, and one analyst says the 60% mark could arrive before 2030, suggesting the formal target may trail real‑world momentum.
- India uses an emissions‑intensity yardstick that ties pollution to GDP, which allows total emissions to grow as the economy expands, and officials say limited climate finance and geopolitical shocks argue for measured steps even after early delivery of past goals.