The Catholic Church has welcomed India’s updated 2035 climate targets, saying they support emissions cuts, renewable energy growth and forest expansion while underscoring social equity and a just transition.
The Catholic Church has welcomed India’s updated climate targets for 2035, calling them a step forward in balancing emissions cuts, renewable energy growth and forest expansion while keeping social equity in focus.
India last week outlined its revised nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, setting goals to achieve 60 percent non-fossil-fuel electricity capacity, cut emissions intensity by 47 percent from 2005 levels and expand carbon sinks through forests and tree cover by 2035.
Bishop Allwyn D’Silva, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Office for Environment and Climate Change, said the updated plan aligns with the country’s long-term goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2070 and builds on progress in renewable energy.
“I commend the government’s updated climate commitments as they build on the success of surpassing renewable energy targets ahead of time and commit to increasing carbon sinks through expanded forest and tree cover,” he told UCA News on March 30.
The government says the revised commitments build on earlier targets submitted in 2015 and updated in 2022, several of which have already been achieved ahead of schedule.
While the new targets have been described as incremental, they come at a time when global climate momentum faces uncertainty amid geopolitical tensions and shifting energy priorities.
Environmental experts and faith leaders say India’s steady approach provides continuity in an uncertain global landscape.
They also point to the growing emphasis on a “just transition,” reflecting concerns among civil society and religious groups that climate policies could worsen social inequalities if not carefully managed.
Experts note that India’s energy transition will affect millions of livelihoods, particularly in coal-dependent regions.
“Transitioning away from fossil fuels must be just for men and women workers and communities dependent on the industry. We must have the financial infrastructure and technical know-how for a transition that avoids economic disruptions,” D’Silva said.
He also stressed that expanding forest and tree cover must not come at the expense of vulnerable communities.
“Our expansion of forest and tree cover must secure ancestral lands and livelihoods,” he said, pointing to the rights of indigenous and forest-dwelling communities.
D’Silva, auxiliary bishop emeritus of Bombay, now Mumbai, is widely known as a “green bishop” for decades of advocacy on environmental protection and social justice.
“As a faith-based leader, I believe in ecological stewardship, sustainable living and development that is anchored in the sanctity of the deep web of interconnectedness between the Creator, nature and human beings. This relationship has been disrupted, placing us on the brink of a planetary crisis,” he said.
Climate change impacts are already visible across India through extreme weather, erratic rainfall and rising temperatures.
Faisal Javaid, a research scholar in environmental sciences based in New Delhi, said the country continues to face structural challenges, particularly in securing adequate climate finance, an area where India has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with support from developed nations.
Despite these constraints, he said India’s latest climate plan “has hinted at a commitment to progress, even if measured.”
