Updating its local weather targets, India has pledged that by 2035, 60% of its put in electrical capability will comprise of non-fossil sources. It additionally goals to scale back by 47% the depth of emissions per unit of GDP from 2005 degree and to extend its carbon sink to three.5 billion tonnes – 4 billion tonnes. These targets make up its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), that are to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“We will easily achieve these goals… (with) the speed with which we are expanding our non-fossil sources,” Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw mentioned at a briefing on Wednesday following a Cabinet assembly.
As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, India was required to difficulty an up to date NDC in 2025, which spells out its voluntary actions in the direction of transitioning away from fossil fuel and bettering energy-efficiency measures.
At the thirtieth version of the Conference of Parties in Belem, Brazil, in November final 12 months, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav mentioned that India would announce the NDC by the “year-end. The Conference of Parties, or CoP, is a body of nations that convenes annually to discuss climate issues and transition their economies away from fossil fuel.
India and Argentina were the only two G-20 countries that had not announced a 2035 NDC as of December 31, 2025. A total of 128 parties, representing about 78% of global greenhouse gas emissions, had submitted new NDCs by that date. These included 21 Small Island Developing States, 19 Least Developed Countries, and 18 G-20 members.
Current commitments
India’s current NDC, officially conveyed to the United Nations in August 2022, commits to the following by 2030: having 50% of its installed electric power from non-fossil sources; reducing the intensity of emissions per unit of GDP by 44%; and increasing its carbon sink to at least 2.5 billion tonnes to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Currently, about 52% of India’s installed electric capacity comes from non-fossil fuel sources — a target achieved well before the deadline — though only about 25% of the power generated is non-fossil. These sources include solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and nuclear power. As of 2019, say official estimates, India has achieved an emissions intensity of 36% from 2005-2020.
A carbon sink of 1.97 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent had already been created from 2005 to 2019. However, forest and tree cover accounts for about 24.6% of India’s geographical area as of 2021, which is higher than the 21% in 2005, but still less than the national policy goal of 33%.
“In shaping India’s NDC for 2031-2035, the government has considered the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST), principle of Common but differentiated responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), and equity with a view to harmonize national realities, developmental priorities, energy security and the need for greater ambition in climate action, in line with the purpose and long-term goals of the Paris Agreement,” the Environment Ministry mentioned in a press release.
Initiated in 2021, the GST assesses the world’s collective progress in the direction of limiting world warming to 1.5 levels Celsius, concluding that nations usually are not on monitor. Several unbiased analysts have prompt that whereas India could meet its 2030 NDC targets, it isn’t sufficient to maintain the globe on a 1.5C pathway.
Independent analysts mentioned India was selecting up the slack for developed international locations.
India’s NDC goal had come amid a “rollback of climate policies” and “unilateral trade measures” by developed, wealthy international locations, Vaibhav Chaturvedi, senior fellow, Council for Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), informed The Hindu. “It demonstrates a strong resolve to address transmission and land availability constraints faced by the renewables sector. The 47% emissions intensity target shows that energy security and prices cannot be taken for granted.”
“At a time when developed countries are backtracking on ambition, deepening their fossil fuel entrenchment, and dragging the world towards military conflict, the signal from India shows that Global South (developing country) leadership on climate ambition is concrete and real,” Avantika Goswami, of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an influential suppose tank, mentioned in a press release.
Published – March 25, 2026 11:34 pm IST
