No Global Net Zero Without India': Economist Nicki Hutley To NDTV At COP31

As the 31st UN Climate Change Conference takes place in Antalya, Türkiye, one question hangs over the negotiating rooms: energy transition in the world's most populous country.For Nicki Hutley, an Australian economist who has authored a paper titled 'World's Net Zero Cannot be Complete without India's Net Zero', the answer starts with a simple premise - whether India meets its climate targets is not India's concern alone, she argues, it matters to every country in the world.In a conversation with NDTV's Gaurie Dwivedi, she set out why the developed world should see India's climate needs as an opportunity rather than a burden.Growth And Green, TogetherIndia's starting point is growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has set a growth target meant to raise incomes for every Indian.

That growth will need energy, and a great deal of it. The familiar framing pits that demand against emission cuts.

Growth and clean energy, she says, can be pursued together. She also notes that the trade-off is no longer a developing-world problem.