Climate Policy
Policies define the roadmap for our planet’s future. Explore what’s proposed, approved and in motion.
Fixing municipal capacity and capital for cleaner cities
Following the Supreme Court of India’s recent direction to states and urban local bodies to tighten compliance with solid waste management rules, and the Union Budget’s push for urban infrastructure financing and municipal bond incentives, the fundamentals of city governance and capacity needs renewed attention. India will need nearly USD 840 billion in urban infrastructure investment over the next 15 years. Yet Indian cities raise less than 0.6 per cent of GDP in own-source revenues, compared to 2-4 per cent mobilised by cities in developed OECD countries. The mismatch between ambition and capacity may now be too large to ignore.
China’s 5-Year Plan Focuses on Carbon Intensity and RE, Avoids Emissions Cap
China in its 15th five-year plan signalled a push towards carbon-intensity reduction and renewable energy, however, it stopped short from setting up a cap on its total emissions.
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The EU-India FTA: A stepping stone for sustainable industrial transformation?
On 27 January 2026, after nearly two decades of negotiations, India and the European Union (EU) finally concluded a free trade agreement (FTA). It comes amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, in which both sides seek to diversify market access and de-risk their supply chains. Beyond the FTA, the two blocs signed a Joint India-European Comprehensive Strategic Agenda setting out a broad framework for cooperation, including in areas such as sustainability, innovation, and defence.
“Tamil Nadu Is Moving Naturally Towards Renewables Plus Storage”
As climate risks intensify and decarbonisation moves to the centre of economic policy, states are under growing pressure to align development with sustainability. Tamil Nadu, which is the manufacturing hub of the country, is taking active efforts to become a key player in this transition. The state is set to host the fourth edition of the Tamil Nadu Climate Summit, a platform to highlight the state's pioneering efforts in driving climate governance, policy innovation, and climate innovation at large scale on 17th and 18th February 2026, where the focus will be on achieving carbon neutrality and advancing climate action.
Businesses at Risk of Extinction Without Urgent Biodiversity Action: Report
A new report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) found that the growth of the global economy from $1.18 trillion in 1820 to $130.11 trillion in 2022 has been at the cost of immense biodiversity loss, which now poses a critical and pervasive systemic risk to the economy, financial stability, and human well-being.
Over-use of CDR in Climate Targets Risks Breaching 1.5°C Limit: Study
A new study by University of Oxford researchers stated that countries relying heavily on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to reach their national climate targets risk breaching the 1.5°C limit and international legal obligations. The CDR process involves deliberate, human-led actions to remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere and store it on a geological sphere.
Budget 2026: Strong Fiscal Signals, Fragmented Support for India’s Energy Transition
Against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the Union Budget 2026 underscores the government’s continued emphasis on fiscal discipline. The government has committed to reducing the fiscal deficit to 4.4% of GDP in FY2026-27 and further to 4.3% in FY2027, while continuing to lower the debt-to-GDP ratio, estimated at 55.6% in the coming fiscal year. This emphasis on fiscal consolidation is critical for maintaining investor confidence and long-term macroeconomic stability.
Beyond Compensation: What Coastal Communities Lose to a Rising Sea
Part 1 of CarbonCopy’s series on non-economic loss and damage examines how climate impacts along Odisha’s coast are eroding identity, culture and belonging beyond what compensation frameworks recognise
Experts Call for Push on Storage, Grids, and Climate Adaptation Ahead of Budget 2026
Energy and climate experts are urging the government for deeper investments in energy storage, grid modernisation, and climate adaptation, ahead of the Union Budget 2026 session on Sunday. The experts point out that the gaps in these areas could slow the country’s clean energy transition.
Climate Risks Slips Down the Short-term Global Risks as Geopolitical Tensions Rise: WEF
Extreme weather events and environmental risks are no longer an immediate priority because of heightened geoeconomic confrontations as per the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026.
India–EU FTA Anchors Climate and Trade in a Fracturing Global Order
India, the world’s fastest growing major economy, and the European Union (EU) have concluded talks for a long-anticipated free trade agreement (FTA) expected to double bilateral trade—currently at €124 billion ($136 billion)—within five years.
‘Strong Policy, Visible Action’: How Tamil Nadu Is Tackling Climate Risks
It has been just more than a month since Cyclone Ditwah flooded large parts of Chennai, killed at least four people and destroyed crops across more than 2.11 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu. But beyond the immediate damage, the disaster has also brought into sharp focus how prepared Indian states really are for a future of climate extremes. In this interview, CarbonCopy speaks to Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forests, about how Tamil Nadu has tried to get ahead of that curve through the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC), a state-run climate finance and governance platform that is now mobilising thousands of crores for mangroves, urban resilience, green jobs and decarbonisation. Recently named a UNEP Champion of the Earth for 2025, Sahu explains how the state is using law, public funding and international finance to turn climate plans into projects on the ground.
Climate action in a fractured world: Trends for 2026
On January 13, US President Donald Trump slapped a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran. The news was received with consternation in Iran and beyond. Oil is Teheran’s biggest export — with China..
US Strike on Venezuela Reshapes Energy Politics, Raises Strategic Dilemmas for India
The US military intervention in Venezuela — a nation sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves — marks a significant shift in how Washington plans to exert power in a more fragmented world. While the strike has drawn..
Trump Approves Bill Proposing 500% Tariffs on Brazil, China, and India Over Russian Oil Trade
US President Donald Trump has approved a bipartisan Russian Sanctions Bill that could be used as leverage against India, China, and Brazil for continuing to buy Russian petroleum products, said US Senator..