Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) appears to be strategically and predominantly positively engaged on climate change policy in India, notably renewable energy legislation. Despite supporting measures to transition the energy mix, including the development of green hydrogen and electric vehicles, the association appears to advocate for the continued role of coal in the energy mix in misalignment with science-based pathways to 1.5°C.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: CII has taken positive positions on climate policy in its top-line communications. In a September 2023 communiqué, CII supported emissions reductions in line with the 1.5°C warming goal of the Paris Agreement, advocating for a focus on global collaboration and funding in its policy recommendations to the G20. The industry association has also consistently supported India’s 2070 net zero objective, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in November 2021. Most recently, in a January 2024 blog.
In a December 2023 COP28 report from the CII-ITC Centre for Excellence for Sustainable Development, CII supported India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) objectives, and called for further international support and climate finance to enhance transition capacities. CII also called for developing countries to receive support in terms of financing and removal of technology barriers in order to raise ambition of their NDCs, in an April 2025 blog. The association also appears to support the need for climate change regulation, for example in a March 2024 Competitive and Sustainable India report, CII supported the creation of a Green Transition Fund to provide policy incentives to meet India’s 2070 net zero target.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: CII’s engagement with climate-related regulations appears mostly positive, with support for renewable energy legislation and opposition to certain carbon pricing measures. The association has consistently supported India’s 2030 500GW renewable energy target and scaling up policies to achieve it, most recently in a January 2024 blog. In its March 2024 Competitive and Sustainable India report, CII also supported regional solar policies in India, including the Draft Delhi Solar Policy (2022).
CII also appears to have taken positive positions on energy efficiency and circular economy policies in India. For example, in a June 2023 blog, the association supported India's Extended Producer Responsibility Guidelines, under the Plastic Waste Management Rules. CII also supported broad measures and regulatory frameworks for energy and resource efficiency as part of its policy recommendations to the G20 in a September 2023 communiqué.
CII has taken a mixture of positive and negative positions on carbon pricing measures. For example, in a June 2024 Financial Times article, the association did not support the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), stating it violated World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. However, in a December 2023 article in The Hindu, CII supported countermeasures to the EU CBAM and suggested a carbon levy in India to raise funds to decarbonize Indian industry. The association also supported carbon pricing mechanisms, specifically the use of carbon markets, in an October 2023 communiqué.
Positioning on Energy Transition: CII appears to promote a transitional role for fossil gas and has appeared to support a continued role for coal in the energy mix in misalignment with science-based pathways to 1.5°C. For example, in a February 2024 communiqué and its 2024 Annual Report, published in 2024, the association advocated to policymakers to enhance coal gasification capacity. Additionally in an April 2022, Policy Watch publication, CII supported a role for fossil gas in the energy mix alongside renewables to transition the energy mix.
However, CII has stated support for elements of the energy transition, including development of electric vehicles and green hydrogen. In its 2024 Annual Report, published in 2024, the association advocated for Indian policymakers to provide tax incentives for electric vehicle manufacturing towards the decarbonization of the transport sector. CII also supported scaling up electric vehicle infrastructure investments in a February 2024 communiqué. In an August 2023 policy advocacy paper on its website, CII stated support for India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and the use of green hydrogen in heavy industry and hard-to-abate sectors.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the industry association’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2025
Additional Note: CII is headquartered in India, where InfluenceMap’s LobbyMap platform can currently only make a provisional assessment of corporate climate policy engagement, due to limited capability to access publicly available data on this issue. As it is possible that InfluenceMap is not yet able to fully capture evidence of CII's climate policy engagement activities, these scores should be considered provisional at this time.