ABSTRACT
Due to the size of its population and the rapid growth of its economy India is one of the world’s three largest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters, even though its per capita emissions are among the lowest globally. High poverty rates in India are accompanied by low per capita electricity consumption. In international climate negotiations India has for a long time been perceived as a nay-sayer, unwilling to commit to climate mitigation goals and persuading fellow developing countries to do the same. However, this chapter shows that, at least in recent years, India has actually offered considerable climate leadership and pioneership in promoting solar energy. India’s large market and population makes it an important player especially in the G77 but also in the G20 and the BRICS.
The chapter introduces India’s climate policy and the role it has played in the international climate regime. It links the description of India’s federal climate policy structures to the main theoretical concepts used in this book. It argues that the multilevel governance lens is a helpful analytical tool for assessing the pioneering actions and leadership in India. India’s states, and increasingly also its cities, NGOs, and think tanks, play an important role in shaping the country’s climate and energy policy.
