By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON –India on Friday pledged a strong stance gone unnoticed at the COP31 summit in Turkiye.

Indian officials and environmentalists at the ongoing climate summit said a common 35% target must not come at the cost of restricting energy growth in the world’s poorest regions.

Turkiye and Australia have made electrification a priority.

Developed nations are backing the “35-by-35” Electrification Pledge, but discussions on finance and technology transfer remain central concerns for developing countries.

Climate Trends, a research-based consulting and capacity-building initiative, in Antalya the experts discussed the pledge’s relevance to the developing world and India’s position.

They said that developing countries like India would rather see COP31 focus on financing the required infrastructure than introduce another voluntary target that India has already met and surpassed.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav is expected to reach Antalya on November 15.

India is expected to skip signing the presidency’s informal “35-by-35” global electrification pledge.

India traditionally avoids signing voluntary pledges at COPs, after commitments under the UNFCCC’s Nationally Determined Contributions framework. Its position remains firm on the principle of CBDR-RC—Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities, say officials.

A common target, experts argued, must account for national circumstances and assess countries on the basis of their progress.

According to Dr Ajay Mathur, former Director General of the International Solar Alliance and India’s lead negotiator at the Paris COP, India’s achievements already provide an answer to the presidency’s proposal.

“India surpassed its NDC target of 50% installed power capacity from renewables by 2030, four years ahead of schedule. By July this year, the share had reached 54%. More than 300 GW of solar, wind, hydro, nuclear and bio-power now feed the grid. India added a record 55 GW of this capacity in FY25-26 alone. By 2019, it had achieved near-universal household electrification through various government schemes.

“That is why India’s attention is now less on new pledges and more on the capital needed to make this capacity work seamlessly. Developing countries like India would rather that COP31 direct its energy into financing this build-out than another voluntary target it has already met and surpassed,” he said.

Rachitaa Gupta, Global Coordinator of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, believes electrification must be assessed in terms of its impact on people’s lives.

“Can a family afford to cook with electricity? Can a farmer count on power to irrigate her crops? Can a town run electric buses people can afford to take? Communities should have a say in what gets built and whose needs come first.

“We don’t want this push used to justify new fossil fuel plants or nuclear reactors, or to put AI data centres at the front of the queue. Wealthy countries need to phase out fossil fuels faster at home, provide grant-based public finance and share technology so developing countries can build the renewable energy systems their communities need.”

The pledge was floated by the COP31 presidency at Bonn in June, backed loudest by the EU and UK, and based on an IEA assessment that 35% electrification is achievable by 2035.

China has backed it too, since it is already at 28 to 29.5%, against a 22% global average and India’s 16.5%, according to Climate Trends