The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has placed clean technology cooperation, resilient value chains and energy security at the centre of its climate agenda, according to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The New Delhi Declaration covers a wide range of climate-related issues, including clean technology and forests, while reaffirming the grouping’s commitment to the multilateral climate framework under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.
Commenting on the Declaration, Avantika Goswami, programme manager of the Climate Change and Green Economy unit at CSE, said: “The BRICS nations comprise a diverse mix of developing and emerging countries with growing energy needs, industrialisation aspirations and multiple development challenges — it is unlikely that we will hear a fossil fuel phase-out declaration any time soon.”
The Declaration calls for “just, orderly, equitable, and inclusive energy transitions” and emphasises diversified energy sources and resilient value chains. The continued recognition of fossil fuels in energy systems reflects the bloc’s focus on maintaining energy security while pursuing the transition.
Goswami adds: “However, BRICS’ rapidly growing adoption of clean technologies like solar energy and electric vehicles positions the bloc well to aim higher and aspire for a faster transition rather than lock in vast amounts of fossil fuel infrastructure. BRICS nations are already generating more than half of the world’s solar power. Doubling down on scaling up renewable energy and economy-wide decarbonisation is the need of the hour — not only to cut emissions, but also to shield from volatility and supply disruptions like those precipitated by the Hormuz crisis.”
Hosted by the Government of India, the summit brings together leaders from major emerging economies, including China, Iran, Indonesia, the UAE and Ethiopia, along with Russia. The meeting comes at a time when developing countries are placing greater emphasis on climate action tailored to national circumstances, clean technology, innovation and industrial development.
The Declaration also highlights several barriers to scaling up climate action, including high debt burdens, inequalities in the governance of Bretton Woods Institutions and gaps in climate finance, particularly for adaptation.
On trade, BRICS reiterated its opposition to unilateral climate-linked trade measures, including what it described as punitive, discriminatory and protectionist measures, explicitly referring to carbon border adjustment mechanisms.
“The opposition to unilateral climate-linked trade measures must be seen alongside the call for a broader and equitable cooperation between developing countries in global higher value manufacturing,” says Trishant Dev, deputy programme manager, Climate Change and Green Economy unit, CSE.
The bloc has also adopted Terms of Reference and an Action Plan for the BRICS photovoltaic industry working group. It has opened a workstream on low-emission hydrogen, outlined principles for smart grids and energy storage, and committed to global value-chain action plans aimed at helping developing countries move up the value chain.
The Declaration further calls for fair competition in renewable energy markets, reflecting a broader focus on strengthening clean technology manufacturing and competitiveness across the Global South.
“Taken together, the bloc appears to be organising around competitiveness and forwarding a shared agenda in clean technology manufacturing for the Global South,” Dev adds.
CSE said the absence of ambitious new emissions targets should not necessarily be interpreted as a lack of climate ambition. Instead, BRICS countries appear to be focusing on shaping their green industrial futures and strengthening their position in emerging global green value chains.
Goswami points out that “this, in some ways, could prove to be a more concrete commitment to decarbonisation than traditional emission-cutting goals. Who controls, produces and can access clean technologies and minerals needed for the transition will shape how quickly countries can switch from fossil-based to low-carbon infrastructure. The New Delhi Declaration shows that the BRICS countries have their eye on this larger goal.”
(Inputs from CSE)
