This was to determine which groupings were “contrary to the interests of the United States,” in line with Trump’s political agenda of “America first”, which often includes targeting foreign countries over alleged unfairness in how the US is treated.

Some of the most prominent organisations in the list are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Also on the list is the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which is headquartered in India.

The ISA was predicated on the idea that the over 120 countries located in the tropics, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, could harness solar energy to meet their electricity needs. It was a “collaborative initiative between India and France aimed at uniting efforts to combat climate change by implementing solar energy solutions.” It is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana.

Its key theme is the ‘Towards 1000’ strategy, aimed at mobilising “$1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030 while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in the installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.”

The ISA was conceptualised on the sidelines of the COP21 in Paris in 2015, when the landmark Paris Agreement was signed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in average global temperature.

And what actions has it undertaken over the years?

Primarily, the ISA was envisaged as a facilitator in the adoption and growth of solar power. A 2020 amendment led to all UN member states becoming eligible to join the alliance. According to the official website, more than 100 countries are currently its signatories, with over 90 countries having ratified to become full members.

However, as The Indian Express reported in 2024, progress has been slow and limited. While the ISA has helped many countries in Africa and Latin America complete preparatory work, the projects are yet to be launched.

This has happened amid a rapid rise in the global installed capacity of solar power, which increased by over 20% annually between 2019 and 2024, as well as a gradual reduction in costs. However, this growth is unbalanced, with China accounting for a huge share of installations.

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The ISA has been working with governments and local institutions to create regulatory structures, draft power purchase agreements, and train human resources. For India, which had a central role to play early on, deployment of solar energy also had the larger strategic purpose of outreach to the Global South, particularly to countries in Africa.

Trump’s objections

Trump’s criticism of solar energy is linked to his overall opposition to renewable energy, and he has generally promoted the use of thermal power by linking it to American jobs. In 2025, he called climate change “The greatest con job,” even as scientists now overwhelmingly agree on the reality of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and how human activities have accelerated these phenomena.

Trump’s reaction was in line with his actions in his actions and policies in his first term (2017-21). Forbes reported in 2019 that official data showed solar energy was responsible for a much larger share of employment in the electric power sector (43%) than the whole of the fossil fuel industry combined (22%) in 2016.

“However, solar energy jobs have stagnated and dipped for two consecutive years since the Department of Energy’s initial report, with a loss of 10,000 jobs in 2017 followed by a further 8,000 in 2018.” A key reason was Trump’s tariffs on foreign-made solar panels.

Recently, Reuters reported that just one solar project has been approved on federal lands since Trump took office in January 2025, and none have been permitted since July last year, when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered that all new decisions related to renewable energy projects require his personal sign-off.