NEW DELHI — India is uniquely positioned to lead the global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, a shift that is now “inevitable and unstoppable,” a senior United Nations climate official today said .
Selwin Hart, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, was speaking at the second edition of the Bharat Climate Forum in New Delhi.
Addressing policymakers, industry leaders and experts, Hart said the global energy transition is no longer driven solely by climate concerns but by economics and strategic necessity.
“The world is changing its energy system not out of idealism, but out of necessity and opportunity,” Hart said. “Cost, affordability, access, competitiveness, resilience and energy security are now the real drivers.”
The day-long forum, organised by the Council for International Economic Understanding (CIEU) in partnership with Dalberg Advisors, focused on India’s climate ambitions, clean technology pathways and sustainable growth models.
Hart said countries that lead the transition will shape future industries, supply chains and economic growth, while those that fall behind will remain vulnerable to price volatility, pollution and declining competitiveness.
“India is uniquely positioned to lead,” he said, citing the country’s rapid scale-up of renewable energy over the past decade, falling clean energy costs and expanding domestic manufacturing capacity.
India is now among the world’s fastest-growing clean energy markets, with solar and wind power expanding at record levels, Hart noted.
As an example, he said India’s installed solar capacity stood at about 32 megawatts in 2010–11. By this month, it has surged to around 130 gigawatts, marking more than a 3,000-fold increase in about 15 years.
Hart also praised India’s international leadership through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, which he said has helped mobilize countries across the Global South to accelerate solar deployment, share best practices and strengthen institutional capacity.
