India on Wednesday agreed to enhanced climate targets for 2031-2035 under the Paris Agreement, increasing its commitments on emissions, clean energy and forests at a time when the United States has withdrawn from the global climate framework and many developed countries are scaling back their ambitions.
The Union Cabinet approved three quantitative targets as part of India’s revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) – the formal pledge taken by each country under the Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new targets represent a step forward from the targets set by India for the 2030 period, which were announced in August 2022.
India now aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP – the amount of greenhouse gases produced per unit of economic output – by 47% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, up from the previous target of 45% by 2030. It has committed to withdrawing 60% of its cumulative electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035, against the previous target of 50% by 2030. It also raised its target For carbon. It reduces carbon dioxide – which is absorbed by forests and tree cover – to 3.5 to 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035, from 2.5 to 3 billion tons by 2030.
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The government stated that in any case, India is already ahead of its previous schedule. The country’s emissions intensity fell by 36% between 2005 and 2020. Non-fossil sources accounted for 52.57% of installed capacity as of February 2026, achieving the 2030 target five years early. India produced 2.29 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in carbon sinks by 2021, the Center said.
Revised NDCs are long overdue. The initial deadline for countries to submit their 2035 targets was September 2025. But most countries were unable to do so. India’s commitments are in line with its vision of a developed India (Fixit Bharat) by 2047 and its long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, the Center said.
“India’s new targets represent a commitment to climate multilateralism,” said Avantika Goswami, director of the climate change program at the Center for Science and Environment. Halving its emissions intensity and getting more than half of its installed energy capacity from non-fossil sources within nine years “shows that India is pulling above its weight given its minimal historical contribution to emissions,” it said. “At a time when developed countries are rolling back their ambition, deepening fossil fuel entrenchment, and dragging the world toward military conflict, the signal from India shows that the Global South’s leadership on climate ambition is tangible and real.”
Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a senior fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water, said India’s announcement came within a “rapidly evolving global landscape characterized by a rollback in climate policies in the Global North, unilateral climate-related trade measures, and war in the Middle East.” He added that the 47% emissions intensity target “reflects the growing understanding that energy security and prices cannot be taken for granted and that the current scenario is more dangerous than ever on both the energy and macroeconomic fronts.”
“It is good to see that India has increased all three key quantitative targets – emissions reductions, non-fossil or clean energy, and carbon sinks. At a time when the global order is waning, and when there is little interest in climate – which seems to have lost its status as a global public good – it is good to see that India is staying on track. Given that India is the chair of the BRICS, this announcement perhaps paves the way for BRICS-led climate action. It is clear that UNFCCC and Consultant (Energy and Climate) at the Observer Research Foundation: “The West will not take the lead on climate. “India shows that leadership now must come from large developing countries.”
“India’s revised NDCs are a step in the right direction, but fall short of the ambition required at this stage of the energy transition. With non-fossil fuel capacity already exceeding 52% by 2025-26, the target of reaching 60% by 2035 does not adequately reflect the pace of progress or the scale of opportunities ahead. While India remains vulnerable to global supply and price shocks – particularly in imported fossil fuels – the need to accelerate Asia at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA): “The electrification of clean energy sources across all sectors is stronger than ever. “Electrification of industry, in particular, provides a dual benefit: reducing dependence on imports while enhancing long-term economic resilience.”
India is the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States. However, per capita emissions are still well below the global average – 3.04 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per person, versus a global average of 6.56 tons, according to the Global Atmospheric Research Emissions Database.
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The global context has shifted sharply. The United States, historically the largest emitter, exited the Paris Agreement in 2025 and withdrew from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change last January.
In addition to the three quantitative goals, the Cabinet also approved five qualitative goals aimed at integrating climate considerations into development planning. These include a commitment to a climate-friendly economic growth path; Resilient infrastructure with a focus on adaptation, disaster management and fragile ecosystems; The Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) initiative, which promotes sustainable living; Develop low-cost, long-term financing mechanisms for green energy, and build capacity in climate technologies.
The revised targets are the outcome of consultations led by ten working groups under NITI Aayog, comprising central ministries, domain experts, industry bodies and civil society organisations. The center said that inputs for specific sectors were evaluated across energy, industry, transportation, agriculture, water and urban development.
