U.S.-India partnership leads on climate crisis

Climate change demands global action. As temperatures rise each year, the world needs to work together to meet the growing demands for clean energy, adaptive agriculture and environmental conservation.

That’s why the ongoing partnership between the United States and India to address climate issues while also supporting growth and economic development is so important. This partnership sets an example for the world through its ambitious goals, collaborative efforts, and a commitment to a cleaner future.

Fighting climate change together

At the forefront of this collaboration is the U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue, launched in 2021 by President Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.

These initiatives aim to accelerate clean energy deployment, strengthen bilateral collaboration on climate action through research partnerships and mobilize financing for the transition to a net-zero future.

Although the programs are bilateral, the U.S.-India partnership affects the whole world. Because of their size, growth and leadership, India and the United States are pivotal countries in the fight against climate change, setting standards, driving innovation and spurring global investment.

“Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in renewable and alternative energies has already driven down prices for the rest of the world, making these options cost competitive with every other energy source,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in February when
India announced it was beginning membership talks to join the International Energy Agency.

“In so many ways, the world’s energy future will depend on India’s energy future,” Granholm said.

Investment and collaboration

The United States and India are backing up these goals by funding initiatives to fight climate change and drive economic growth and development.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Government of India joined forces to invest up to $1 billion in the India Green Transition Fund. With a goal to secure additional funding from other governments to become a multibillion-dollar fund, this money will target clean energy projects such as solar, energy storage and e-mobility, accelerating India’s clean energy transition while generating market-based returns.

For the United States, India is becoming a significant provider of solar panels, with major Indian firms exporting to the United States and even opening factories there. This collaboration signifies not only a commitment to policy but also financial muscle in driving clean energy solutions.

Focus on conservation

The U.S.-India partnership is also working to prepare local communities for the realities of climate change.

The U.S. Agency for International Development works closely with India on climate adaptation strategies, such as finding crops that can thrive in higher temperatures and preparing communities for severe weather events brought on by climate change. These efforts help communities produce more while ensuring that they can withstand the ongoing climate emergency.

The United States works with partners across India to slow climate change. The U.S. shares expertise and resources to help India’s government rehabilitate and manage more than one million hectares of India’s forest. These trees provide a vital carbon sink, pulling carbon pollution out of the air and helping save the planet.

Leading by example

The U.S.-India partnership on climate change leads by example and offers a blueprint for how countries can address climate change.

By combining their resources, expertise, and leadership, the world’s oldest and world’s largest democracies are not only advancing their own clean energy goals but also set a powerful example.

“We have an extraordinary partnership between the United States and India that has grown stronger and stronger in recent years, stronger than it’s ever been,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said when he met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in February. “It is for us among the most consequential relationships of any in the world.”