Cutting humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels is not only good for the climate, but “a macroeconomic, fiscal and strategic necessity”.

That’s the stark message that Selwin Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General and Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action, brought to the Bharat Climate Forum in New Delhi on 9 January.

Delivering a special address to the Forum’s high-level plenary session, Mr. Hart warned that the world remained off-track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement since its adoption in 2015.

But he said that the world was nevertheless undergoing an energy transition – “not out of idealism, but out of necessity and opportunity… and that change is now inevitable and unstoppable.”

The Special Adviser noted that last year global investment in clean energy was almost twice the level of investment in fossil fuels, that solar power has become the cheapest source of new electricity generation, and that renewables have overtaken coal as the world’s largest source of electricity.

Given the transition, the resources still being placed in fossil fuels represent a missed opportunity to invest instead in health care, education, jobs, infrastructure and more.

“Reducing fossil fuel dependence is therefore not only a climate imperative,” Mr. Hart said. “It is a macroeconomic, fiscal, and strategic necessity.”

Turning to India, the Special Adviser said the country was uniquely positioned to lead the global energy transition. He pointed to the rapid scale-up of renewable energy, including expanding rooftop solar programmes and growing clean energy manufacturing.

A day earlier, Mr. Hart participated in a roundtable in New Delhi with experts as well as senior representatives from government, industry, finance and research institutions. The discussion focused on adaptation and resilience, grid stability, industrial decarbonization and the challenge of mobilizing affordable climate finance in developing economies.

Also speaking at the Bharat Climate Forum, Damilola Ogunbiyi, Chief Executive Officer and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All, emphasized the importance of strengthening domestic and regional manufacturing as the energy transition accelerates.

“Localizing manufacturing is not only important for India; it is critical for the region and for strengthening South–South collaboration,” Ms. Ogunbiyi said. “A resilient energy transition depends on trusted supply chains built closer to where demand exists.”

Ms. Ogunbiyi underscored the role of the private sector in enabling so-called last-mile transition, calling for strong public-private partnerships and financing instruments that reduce the cost of doing business and support economic transformation.

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