- The BRICS is likely to play a prominent role at COP30, not least through a common call on climate finance and the critical basis of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).
- India’s climate diplomacy approach is carefully designed to address the complexities of a multipolar world, with a focus on both national development needs and global environmental responsibilities.
- India is forcibly advocating adaptation, asserting that COP30 is to be the “COP of Adaptation.
- For India, a strategic coupling with BRICS is significant as a diplomatic shield and robust negotiating bloc to protect against unilateral pressures.
The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, will be an important moment for global climate action, amid the complex transitions related to geopolitics and emerging economies. At the centre of this complexity and change is the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, now not only an observer but also host to new members) bloc, which has been coalescing with greater clarity into a “Climate Front” to move the agenda forward collectively. India, a large developing economy and a proactive voice for the Global South, is situating itself within this front to carry forward its climate diplomacy objectives. This strategy will be characterised by the tension of trying to promote the developmental priorities of the South while pursuing its own ambitious national commitments in an increasingly fractured, multipolar world. The BRICS collective position and India’s capacity to navigate it will be a major factor in the Member States’ positions and decisions at COP30, especially with respect to climate funding and adaptation initiatives.
The BRICS Climate Front: Shaping the COP30 Agenda
The BRICS bloc, now a larger alliance of major emerging economies, is likely to play a prominent role at COP30, not least through a common call on climate finance and the critical basis of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC). All members of BRICS share the fact that they, despite their rising economic strength, encounter significant developmental challenges and are especially disadvantaged by the impacts of climate change. The main intent is to advocate strong equity with respect to climate burden sharing, where developed countries—the very countries that were responsible for their historical emissions—fulfil their responsibilities to provide finance and technology.
An important topic for the BRICS agenda at COP30 will be the operationalisation and replenishment of the Loss and Damage Fund and attracting a significant, transparent, grant-based flow of climate finance for the Global South. Furthermore, the BRICS have called for reforming Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to help unlock private capital and increase concessional financing for climate action in developing countries. The BRICS group’s economy provides a strong basis to confront what they see as an effort by the developed world to shift the burden of mitigation to emerging economies without meeting their financing or technology needs. By coming together in a coordinated voice, particularly in an important host country like Brazil (a key member), they enhance their leverage during negotiations over the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance or final indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and the agenda overall. This solidarity also serves as a firm rebuttal to the pressures from developed nations for all major emitters – regardless of their historical responsibility – to ramp up mitigation efforts.
The main intent is to advocate strong equity with respect to climate burden sharing, where developed countries—the very countries that were responsible for their historical emissions—fulfil their responsibilities to provide finance and technology.
Climate Diplomacy in a Multipolar World: India’s Strategy
India’s climate diplomacy approach is carefully designed to address the complexities of a multipolar world, with a focus on both national development needs and global environmental responsibilities. The basis of India’s diplomatic approach at COP30 is three pillars: equity, adaptation, and a just energy transition.
First, the principle of equity—underpinned by CBDR-RC—is non-negotiable. India asserts that its rising emissions are correlated to its ambition to lift millions out of poverty, and therefore, it believes developed countries must lead the way on deep cuts in emissions and provide the promised funding. India is likely to submit an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that raises some of its already ambitious targets, such as a target of 50% cumulative non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030, but India won’t baulk at combining co-operative and contestable approaches, especially related to protecting its economic development and resisting trade measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that it considers protectionist and a hindrance to its development.
Second, India is forcibly advocating adaptation, asserting that COP30 is to be the “COP of Adaptation.” As a country highly vulnerable to heat waves, floods and droughts, India calls for adaptation finance — which has historically lagged behind mitigation funding — to receive equal footing and committed, predictable funding flows. This framework focuses on turning global commitments into grounded, action-oriented projects at local levels that build resilience for at-risk communities and critical infrastructure. This convergence underscores India’s broader appeal in serving the developing world, resulting in it being an authentic leader of the Global South.
Third, India’s strategy emphasises a “Just Transition” that ensures energy security for its 1.4 billion citizens while shifting toward cleaner technologies. This necessitates pursuing a push for technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) while also indicating that the speed of transition must reflect national conditions. India’s engagement through the BRICS framework and institutions such as the G20 demonstrates its multi-vector diplomacy. Utilising the BRICS structure to elevate the voice of developing countries on issues of finance and equity, while also pursuing bilateral engagement and engagement through structures like G20 to create opportunities for technology transfer and investment, reflects India’s position as an important emerging economy that connects diverse global groupings.
India's ability to utilise its diplomatic weight within BRICS and beyond to achieve consensus around the trillion-dollar question of climate finance will play a significant role in determining whether COP30 can deliver on the Global Stocktake requirement to turn global gaps into immediate action at the country level.
Geopolitical Shifts and the Way to Belém
The journey to COP30 comes amid growing geopolitical tension that is deeply affecting India’s position on climate. Geopolitical strategic competition among major powers, economic slowdown in parts of the Global North, and rising inward-looking, protectionist economic policies are putting pressure on climate multilateralism. The developed world, grappling with domestic economic pressures and energy security considerations, is less likely to improve financial commitments, deepening the trust deficit with the Global South. For India, a strategic coupling with BRICS is significant as a diplomatic shield and robust negotiating bloc to protect against unilateral pressures.
India’s role as a bridge-builder and a non-aligned voice among the great powers is especially important in this context. As opposed to China, which many in the West consider through a lens of strategic competition, India’s status as a democracy and G20 Host offers it a unique form of diplomatic capital. India will leverage this capital at COP30 to mediate between the conflicting demands of the Global North for greater ambition from all major emitters and the dire need for finance and justice from the Global South. India’s ability to utilise its diplomatic weight within BRICS and beyond to achieve consensus around the trillion-dollar question of climate finance will play a significant role in determining whether COP30 can deliver on the Global Stocktake requirement to turn global gaps into immediate action at the country level. In the end, the intersection of a unified demand from BRICS for equity and India’s diplomatic skill at multipolar engagement will shape the success of the Belém conference in creating action that reflects these promises.
References:
- http://https://brics.br/en/documents/presidency-documents/2507_brics_leaders-framework_declaration-on-climate-finance.pdf/@@download/file
- http://https://cop30.br/en/news-about-cop30-amazonia/ahead-of-cop30-the-brics-issued-their-first-climate-finance-recommendation
- http://https://www.wri.org/news/statement-brics-countries-rally-around-assertive-climate-agenda-ahead-cop30
- http://https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/un-climate-summit-india-urges-focus-on-adaptation-at-pre-cop30-meet-ministerial-roundtable-in-brasilia/articleshow/124532537.cms
- http://https://diplomatist.com/2025/01/15/climate-diplomacy-in-2025-a-focus-on-indias-leadership-in-cop-30/
- http://https://www.policycircle.org/environment/indias-cop30-agenda-climate/
Hridbina Chatterjee is a final-year postgraduate student in International Relations at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She has written for newspapers and think tanks, with interests in South Asian politics, India’s foreign policy, and the Indo-Pacific. Views expressed are the author’s own.
Aayush Pal 
Daljeet Singh 
Dr Lakshmi Karlekar & Tanishaa Pandey