"Clean energy is the fast track for India to cement itself as a global economic giant", UN climate chief says

India is well placed to strengthen its economy and reinforce its energy security by accelerating its transition to clean energy, the head of UN Climate Change said on Tuesday, pointing to the country's growing leadership in renewable energy and clean technology.

"Globally, clean energy, infrastructure and services are the next industrial revolution. Nationally, they are the fast track for India to cement itself as a global economic giant," Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Mr. Stiell said India's clean energy transition has become central to its development strategy, noting that fossil fuel free power now accounts for half of the country's installed electricity capacity, a milestone reached five years ahead of schedule.

He described India as a "solar superpower", highlighting that installed solar capacity has increased more than fifty-fold since 2014, while solar manufacturing capacity has expanded seventy fivefold. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, renewable energy saved India US$18 billion in fossil fuel purchases last year and has made it the world's most competitive solar market in terms of generation costs.

Those advances, he said, have given India powerful competitive advantages in the global clean energy race, particularly through its manufacturing capabilities and tech savvy workforce. Expanding investment in clean energy, electricity grids, storage and electrification would generate jobs, strengthen growth and further reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Mr. Stiell warned, however, that continued reliance on fossil fuels leaves countries exposed to geopolitical instability and volatile energy prices.

"The brutal costs of fossil fuel imports have hit all nations hard, including India, which imports 90 per cent of its crude oil," he said. "Oil and gas import vulnerability means supplies disrupted and prices rising when crises hit."

He said the impacts of global heating, including extreme heat and changing rainfall patterns across Asia, further reinforce the need to accelerate both clean energy deployment and climate resilience.

Mr. Stiell also highlighted the role of the UN climate process in supporting implementation of the Paris Agreement, including the operationalisation of the UN carbon market and efforts to translate climate commitments into projects on the ground. He called on developed countries to honour their climate finance commitments, including delivering US$300 billion annually by 2035 as part of a pathway towards mobilising US$1.3 trillion a year for developing countries.

Calling India a longstanding partner in climate multilateralism, Mr. Stiell said the country has an opportunity to build on its achievements in renewable energy while pursuing long term energy independence and economic growth.

"Almost eighty years since India won its independence, this nation has the chance to achieve full energy independence, and lock in a next generation of economic might," he said.

Video of the press conference organized by the UN Information Centre can be replayed here. 

Editor's note: Simon Stiell is on an official visit to India from 20 to 22 July, during which he is meeting senior government officials, UN representatives, private sector leaders and civil society to discuss India's clean energy transition, preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), and opportunities to accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement. His programme includes engagements in New Delhi and Mumbai. 

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