In latest Economic Survey, India stresses on pragmatism over ‘singalling’ in fight against climate change

For developing countries like India, where institutional and financial hurdles to decarbonisation were far stiffer, mitigation actions, like quick energy transitions within some externally-mandated time frame, entailed significantly higher challenges and had uncertain outcomes, it said.

The survey said it was not trying to downplay climate risks, or the role of mitigation actions, but only emphasising on the importance of prioritising pragmatism over “signalling”.

In emerging economies like India, “growth, energy security and resilience must advance alongside low-carbon pathways, and not be displaced by it,” the survey said.

“While emissions mitigation is also important, effective climate action encompasses much more; it also depends on improving societal capacity to withstand shocks through stronger health systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, enhanced agricultural productivity, and access to affordable and reliable energy. Measured in terms of human welfare rather than temperature outcomes alone, the most effective strategies are those that expand opportunity while reducing vulnerability…,” it said.

“Prioritising adaptation not only addresses immediate climate challenges but also provides local economic benefits by protecting livelihoods, safeguarding infrastructure investments, and minimising disaster-related losses,” the survey said.

Through the annual Economic Survey, India has been pushing an alternative narrative on climate change for the last couple of years. In 2024, the survey had argued that the single-point agenda of keeping global temperatures within some defined limit, even at the cost of jeopardising economic well-being of the people in developing countries, was not necessarily the best way to deal with climate change. India was the first country to publicly challenge what was then the established and sacrosanct global narrative on climate.

Last year, the survey asserted that development was the best insurance against climate change, and that India must strive to attain developed nation parameters by 2047 before focussing its energies on achieving a net-zero status by 2070.

This year’s Economic Survey has laid out an extension of the same thought process. It highlighted the problems being faced in Europe with its electricity supplies which now rely on renewable energy in a significant way, and cited the case of Spain that suffered a widespread power disruption last year.

“This isn’t a criticism of renewable energy itself… (but) it is a reminder that if we introduce complex systems too quickly without buffers, redundancy and institutional capacity, the system is likely to become fragile instead of thriving,” it said.

The survey said that India would continue the process of rapidly ramping up its renewable energy capacity in pursuit of providing its citizens reliable and affordable electricity, but it would also retain flexibility over power systems.

“The approach is to prioritise energy security, affordability and industrial competitiveness,” it said.

An Alternative Narrative

Through the Economic Survey, India has been pushing an alternative narrative on climate change for the last couple of years, becoming the first country to publicly challenge what was then the established global narrative on the issue. Last year, the survey asserted that development was the best insurance against climate change. This year’s survey has laid out an extension of the same thought process.