Context: India being seen as the cause of weakening the target to ‘phasing down coal’ than to originally proposed ‘phase out coal’.

Drawbacks of India supporting ‘phase out coal’ at COP26

• Unclear strategy: India will continue to use coal beyond 2030, but not alone to do so. The second target is set for 2070 by when technologies would change unknowingly.
• Failure to raise attention on Fossil Fuels and climate finance: 
  • The focus on coal allows big fossil fuel users including users of oil and gas, such as the United States and the European Union to escape scrutiny.
  • Phasing out coal can and must depend upon the greater mobilisation of climate finance to bridge the viability gap for new non-coal projects.
• Cover to China: By far the highest per capita coal consumption among major global economies, commissioned dozens of new coal-fired power plants in 2021 alone.
  • India protected China interest either willingly or unwillingly.
  • It has the potential to cause a serious rupture between India and the small island nations and least developed economies, whose interests India has claimed to support in the past.

Way Forward

• More groundwork: India should correct its errors at COP26 before COP27 in Cairo. It should gain a proper understanding of - 
• The link between a clear commitment to phasing out coal.
• The size and sustainability of new financial flows, including those with an (environmental-social-governance) component.
• Explain how its scale-up of renewable energy until and beyond 2030.
• Ensure not to bring down targets: Ensure that it is not responsible for watering down language in the final COP27 declaration.

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