Can BRICS cement a new era of climate justice and action?
At the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, the leader of BRICS signalled a bold ambition: if the West can no longer lead on climate justice, the Global South will. Comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and the UAE, BRICS today represents over 45% of the world's population, 35% of global GDP (PPP), and more than 50% of global carbon emissions. The Rio summit's declaration, though uneven, revealed a group inching toward an alternative vision—one grounded in equity, sovereignty, and systemic reform. At the summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva decried the diversion of resources to warfare while poverty, climate vulnerability, and financial injustice fester. Echoing the spirit of the Non-Aligned Movement, Lula positioned BRICS as a vehicle for Southern autonomy in a collapsing international order.
The summit's wide-ranging declaration touched on issues, but at its heart was climate justice: the adoption of a Leaders' Framework on Climate Finance, a demand to activate the $1.3 trillion 'Baku to Belém' roadmap, and endorsement of Brazil's Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a new blended finance mechanism for conservation. However, the climate activities demand that BRICS adopt concrete timelines for fossil phaseouts, take a strong position on Loss and Damage financing, develop a clear framework for debt relief for developing nations, aggressively push the developed countries for grant-based climate, and the BRICS declaration should have a mechanism for peer review, civil society oversight, or transparency.
Green Growth as Geopolitical Strategy
BRICS began as an economic bloc in 2006, but over the last decade, it has evolved as a formidable political group. The US–China rivalry, sanctions against Russia, and the carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs) in Europe have driven BRICS members to develop new industrial and financial strategies for transitioning into the post-carbon era of clean energy and green manufacturing. The numbers speak volumes. Currently, BRICS accounts for over half of global solar electricity. China, for its part, produced 834 TWh itself— almost triple that of the US (303 TWh). India produced 133 TWh, while Brazil surpassed Germany to rank fifth globally with 75 TWh. Further, China has deployed over $100 billion in global clean energy projects since 2023. South-South cooperation is broadening to new sectors of electric vehicles, solar tech and biofuels, playing a significant role in the expansion of BRICS' energy strategies.
India's role in this green shift is pivotal. As the incoming BRICS chair in 2026, it holds unique credibility across both the developing world and Western partners. Beyond BRICS, India has been instrumental in building successful multilateral institutions such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Bharat Initiative on Technology and Climate (BITC). These platforms have reshaped South–South cooperation from rhetorical solidarity to institutional delivery. The ISA, now with over 100 member countries, has catalysed solar projects across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. CDRI is leading resilience planning across vulnerable regions, while BITC advances climate-tech innovation in and for the Global South. India has also emerged as a humanitarian leader, responding swiftly to major disasters in Turkey, Fiji, and Mozambique. At the Rio summit, India and China found common ground on tropical forest protection and criticism of carbon tariffs, hinting at a promising alignment that could strengthen the Global South's negotiating power at COP30 and beyond.
COP30: A Moment of Truth
COP30 in Belém will be a defining moment for BRICS. Lula must align Brazil's climate commitments with its fossil investments; India must navigate growing Western hostility; and China must match its green diplomacy with action. The proposed BRICS Multilateral Guarantee could unlock sustainable finance, but without equity safeguards, it risks reinforcing top-down power. Yet BRICS holds transformative promise: its diversity, economic weight, and equity-driven vision offer a compelling alternative to the crumbling Western-led order. As trust in traditional institutions wanes, BRICS has a historic opportunity to reshape global climate governance—from rhetoric to responsibility, from exclusion to justice. To cement its climate leadership, BRICS must resolve internal contradictions and adopt clear fossil fuel phaseout timelines. It must prioritise grant-based, concessional finance over market-led solutions that burden developing nations. Credibility demands transparency, civil society inclusion, and peer review. Adaptation and resilience must equal mitigation, alongside strong South–South cooperation in technology and knowledge sharing.
The developing world expects that BRICS will leverage the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion affirming states' legal obligations to prevent climate harm to strengthen its moral and legal case for climate justice. Acting as a united coalition, BRICS should push developed nations at COP 30 and future climate summits to acknowledge their historical responsibility, commit to significantly higher grant-based climate finance, and accept stricter Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aligned with planetary survival. By presenting a coordinated front at COP30, BRICS can transform the ICJ's opinion into a diplomatic lever, compelling the Global North to shift from minimal compliance to ambitious, equitable action that safeguards vulnerable communities and ecosystems worldwide. The world needs bold, accountable action. BRICS has the power—it now requires the collective will to lead decisively.
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