OPINION | India’s Energy Week; An Example to America
By: Adit Mehta
India is not the most advanced country by any means. Poverty is rife in the country, with illiteracy also impacting many people around the country. Recently, a new problem has begun to grip the country and the entire world: energy.
India’s energy problems stem from several factors. Poor infrastructure and a lack of efficient funding make energy management burdensome. Additionally, as of 2021, 80% of India’s energy comes from coal, oil, and solid biomass.
Although these problems are widespread across the country, India presents a creative and gradual solution: India’s Energy Week. Taking place from Feb. 11 to 14, India’s Energy Week describes itself as the future of energy. It convenes global energy leaders, innovators and policymakers to create innovative solutions to drive a sustainable future. Sustainable energies are at the forefront of climate change reversal, and India’s Energy Week could not have come at a better time for this cause.
Donald Trump recently announced his plan to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, a treaty to combat climate change. He is unleashing an agenda to steer the United States away from renewable energy sources, doubling down on fossil fuel investment.
The decree is a concerning prospect. While Trump had pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement during his first term—later undone by former President Joe Biden—experts have warned that his actions, especially now, could set the climate movement back and have extremely adverse effects on our planet.
While a complete transition to sustainable energy sources may not be possible, President Trump’s unwillingness to consider their use only holds America back. “The leadership of the United States is critical in mobilizing climate finance, advancing clean energy transitions, and ensuring the equitable implementation of global climate goals,” said Ali Mohamed, chair of the Africa Group in U.N. Climate Negotiations and Kenya’s climate envoy.
India’s Energy Week is an example of the openness America needs. While global leaders don’t rush to integrate unwieldy and underdeveloped solutions into the market, they don’t completely reject them, placing the world’s needs ahead of their own. Last year’s energy week was productive, with problems in the status quo being quickly identified along with realistic and innovative solutions to solve them. Leaders discussed the creation of processing plants to create natural biofuels, citing organic and agricultural waste. The conversion between crude and petrochemical oil was also discussed, due to the growing demand for such fuels.
Consideration of such ideas sparks deliberation and innovation. Already companies are stepping up to partner with India. Patrick Pouyanné, the chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies has expressed his support for India’s Energy Week, discussing how he hopes to collaborate on reducing methane emissions, and much more.
The Trump Administration claims that rejecting sustainable energies comes from putting America and its people first, claiming that up until now, the country has been repeatedly scammed by international leaders. In doing so, he turns away leaders like Pouyanné and TotalEnergies from making positive change. These actions come from Trump’s hypothesis that America is especially exempt from global responsibilities because it never gets anything in return. This business-like approach fails to take moral responsibility into account.
The purpose of India’s Energy Week is not purely for its profit. The National Public Utilities Council has stated that from 2021 to 2050, it would take an investment of US $3.5 trillion annually to transition to net zero carbon emissions. Thus, India’s role in reversing the climate crisis also comes from ethical obligations to its people and the world.
Trump has also argued that the climate crisis is a “hoax”. But when his constituents are already suffering, through wildfires in the Los Angeles area or rising sea levels on the coasts of Florida, his outright rejection of global climate efforts is completely unacceptable.
To help the people of the world, India’s Energy Week creates a space where ideas are welcomed, not shut down. Where leaders may stand together to help the world, not just themselves. President Trump and his administration have created an environment where constant competition, threats, and bullying are the standard. However, to truly succeed globally, America does not need to constantly dominate, but rather embrace collaboration to solve the climate crisis.
