ABSTRACT

The issue of climate change has grabbed the attention of the world today as never before. This chapter aims to provide an introduction to how India has engaged in the international negotiations on climate change over the last two decades. It is organised in four parts. The first part provides a synopsis of the key events in international climate negotiations to date, tracing its rise from being an issue of relative scientific obscurity to becoming the ‘defining challenge of our age' (UN, 2007). The second part focuses on India's behaviour in the climate negotiations, noting the key contributions that it made and the policies and strategies that it adopted. The third part attempts to explain the continuities and changes seen in India's foreign policy behaviour on this issue. The fourth concludes with a brief assessment of India's current evolving role.