January 1, 2026 07:57 AM IST First published on: Jan 1, 2026 at 07:57 AM ISTA little over a decade ago, in Paris, climate delegates inked a pact that was seen as a ray of hope for a world unsettled by ecological upheavals. 2025 began with US President Donald Trump pulling out the country responsible for more than a quarter of all GHG emissions since 1750 from the landmark treaty. In the months that followed, Trump delivered on his campaign promise of increased support to the fossil fuel sector aggressively. However, if there’s one positive takeaway from a year in which the scientific community’s warning about nations defaulting on the Paris Pact’s goals grew in urgency and alarm, it’s this: A global warming sceptic at the helm in the US has not meant a setback for climate diplomacy. Instead, at COP 30 in Brazil, developing countries made it clear that attempts to overturn the Paris Pact’s architecture will not succeed. Developed countries committed to triple adaptation finance by 2035 and set up a fund to help the Global South finance climate action.Renewable energy use has increased appreciably in the last decade. Last year, green fuels edged out coal as the biggest source of electricity. The clean energy graph moved northwards in large parts of the Global South, including India. However, 2025 also exposed the precarity of green technologies. Poor wind conditions and drought exposed the weaknesses in Europe’s ageing energy infrastructure. In the wake of Trump’s clampdown on renewables, the International Energy Agency has lowered America’s green energy capacity growth expectations by 50 per cent compared to last year.AdvertisementThe salience of emissions cuts cannot be overstated. At the same time, the destruction caused by extreme weather events underscored the need to prepare for an increasingly unstable climate. In India, scientists are joining the dots between the pollution crisis and climate vagaries. The country is way ahead in terms of meeting its global climate commitments. Upscaling its green ambition should also be about enhancing people’s well-being —minimising the impact of adverse weather events, mitigating public-health challenges and enhancing the competitiveness of industry. In 2026, governments in India should make efforts in this direction.