India announced a long-awaited upgrade to its climate commitments on Wednesday, pledging to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its electricity capacity to 60 percent by 2035.The world's most populous country and third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases has been facing pressure to curb pollution while meeting rising energy demand.
The announcement came after the cabinet approved India's so-called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a roadmap to achieve climate change goals under the Paris Agreement.
The country will "achieve 60 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2035", the statement from the federal government read.
It also pledged to reduce emissions intensity, a measurement of emissions generated relative to GDP, by 47 percent by 2035, compared with 2005 levels.
Like all signatories to the Paris accord, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, India is required to submit updated NDCs to the United Nations through 2035.
It has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2070, but remains heavily reliant on coal, which accounts for roughly 75 percent of its electricity generation.
The country emitted an estimated 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, according to UN data, trailing only China and the United States.
However, its per-capita emissions and historical contribution to global warming remain far lower than many developed nations.
