Context

• The forthcoming BRICS Summit to be hosted by India offers a critical opportunity to align national priorities with the urgent needs of the Global South.
• With the successful organisation of the G-20 Summit in 2023, India already has the infrastructure and diplomatic capacity required.
• The central challenge now lies in defining a focus that resonates across member states while addressing global developmental concerns.
• The growing climate crisis and the need for enhanced resilience provide a unifying and strategic agenda, particularly for developing countries that are disproportionately affected by climate impacts. 

The Global Context: A Leadership Vacuum in Climate Governance

• Global multilateralism is under severe strain amid heightened geopolitical polarisation.
• The United States, under the influence of Trump-era policies, has deprioritised climate action, promoted increased fossil fuel usage, and withdrawn from multiple international initiatives.
• This retreat has weakened global momentum on sustainability, especially as the U.S. has distanced itself from climate forums and institutions central to collective action.
• At the same time, European countries that previously positioned themselves as climate leaders are experiencing domestic fatigue and shifting their attention toward security and economic concerns.
• This convergence of disengagement among major developed economies has created a leadership vacuum in global climate governance.
• Within this context, BRICS has the potential to emerge as a stabilising platform capable of sustaining cooperation on climate action and development-oriented responses.

BRICS as a Platform for Collective Climate Action

• While BRICS is often viewed with suspicion in Washington, India’s diplomatic strength lies in its ability to balance competing interests.
• Its performance during the G-20 Summit demonstrated a capacity to navigate complex global geopolitics while preserving strategic autonomy through multi-alignment.
• A similar approach at the BRICS Summit can advance climate cooperation without undermining crucial bilateral relationships.
• Climate impacts affect all BRICS countries, though in diverse ways. These include risks to infrastructure, public health, ecosystems, and livelihoods across varied geographies.
• Such shared vulnerabilities strengthen the case for collective action focused on adaptation, equity, and sustainable development, ensuring that climate responses do not constrain growth prospects for developing economies.

Reinforcing and Expanding Climate Coalitions

• Within the UNFCCC, groupings such as BASIC have historically played a vital role in articulating developing country concerns.
• However, the expanded BRICS grouping brings greater political and economic weight, enabling stronger coordination among major developing nations.
• This collective influence has already proven effective in safeguarding development priorities during recent climate negotiations.
• Several BRICS members have also played key roles in sustaining the global climate process in the post-Paris Agreement period by presiding over major climate conferences.
• Additionally, BRICS can provide a coordinated response to unilateral measures that bypass multilateral principles, particularly those that link climate policy with trade restrictions.

Climate Finance: The Central Enabler

• Access to adequate finance remains the cornerstone of effective climate action.
• The BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance adopted in 2025 underscored the urgency of mobilising resources for developing countries.
• India has consistently emphasised that climate commitments must be matched by financial support that reflects historical responsibilities and present capacities.
• Meaningful progress in this area requires engagement beyond BRICS institutions such as the New Development Bank.
• Inclusion of the World Bank and the IMF is essential, given their central role in global financial flows.
• Treating these institutions as external or exclusive to developed blocs would limit the effectiveness of any climate finance strategy.
• This engagement is particularly important in light of declining private-sector interest in climate-related investments, including ESG instruments.

India’s Strategic and Geopolitical Opportunity

• The expanded BRICS grouping now represents a significant share of the global population, economic output, and trade flows.
• As chair, India is uniquely positioned to shape a collective agenda that prioritises climate resilience and inclusive growth.
• Such leadership would reinforce India’s global standing while addressing the pressing vulnerabilities of developing nations.
• Geopolitically, a strong BRICS-led climate initiative also serves to balance competing ambitions, particularly those of China, in shaping the global climate leadership narrative
• By advancing a development-centric green agenda that emphasises resilience and cooperation, India can ensure that climate action remains inclusive, equitable, and aligned with the long-term interests of the Global South.

Conclusion

• The upcoming BRICS Summit represents a strategic moment for India to influence the trajectory of global climate governance.
• By foregrounding resilience and inclusive development, India can position BRICS as a stabilising force amid global uncertainty, strengthen cooperation among developing nations.
• India’s leadership can also contribute to a more balanced and sustainable international order, one that integrates climate action with growth, equity, and trade.