However, the talks between President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not been devoid of positive outcomes on the climate front. They have managed to put together a long list of initiatives, including broad-based financial and technical cooperation to promote renewable energy and enhance efficiency of conventional energy. For this, United States federal agencies have committed investments totalling to $4 billion for projects and equipment sourcing. This can help India achieve its upwardly revised goal of stepping up solar power generation capacity to 100,000 Mw by 2019 and add 10,000 Mw wind power capacity annually - the targets otherwise looked over-ambitious. Moreover, the two leaders also consented to work together to improve India's urban air quality, reduce vehicular discharges and promote alternatives for hydro-fluorocarbons, which damage the earth's protective ozone layer. All these steps address India's domestic environment-related concerns and need-based priorities. More importantly, these are aimed at decelerating the rise in the carbon footprint of India's economic development.
Meanwhile, questions remain about the modifications the government intends to make in its approach towards tackling climate change. Some of the suggested changes were outlined by Mr Modi in the first meeting of the reconstituted Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change, which was held ahead of Mr Obama's visit. He had stated that the efforts should focus more on adaptation than mitigation (read emission cuts) and on green credits rather than carbon credits. The consequences of such a paradigm shift are yet to be carefully examined.