India should prioritise meeting its growing energy requirements and strengthening climate resilience rather than pursuing rapid decarbonisation at the cost of economic development, Steven E. Koonin, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
India’s immediate energy needs must take precedence over emission-reduction targets as the country continues to develop, the professor said, noting that access to reliable and affordable power is essential for raising living standards, boosting industrial activity and building resilience against climate-related risks.
“India’s overwhelming priority must be to get the energy that it needs to develop. Secondarily, you can worry about emissions,” he said in an interview, adding that countries must balance three essential pillars of energy policy: affordability, reliability and decarbonisation.
His remarks come amid India’s continued reliance on coal to meet electricity demand, even as the country expands renewable energy capacity and pursues long-term decarbonisation goals.
Developing economies require more power as they grow, Koonin said, pointing to the low penetration of air conditioning in India as a sign of unmet energy demand. Only 15% of Indian households own an air conditioner, the professor noted, stressing that expanding electricity access must remain a priority as incomes rise.
“Energy needs are immediate; they are soluble, whereas the climate threat is distant, vague and uncertain,” he said.
While acknowledging that human activities influence the climate, Koonin questioned the scale of projected impacts, arguing that climate debates often overstate future risks while paying too little attention to the economic and technological constraints of cutting emissions. Widely seen as a climate sceptic, Koonin worked as chief scientist before serving in the US Department of Energy, or DoE, in the first Barack Obama administration. He shot to prominence with his 2021 book Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters.
The professor identified nuclear power as a vital part of India’s future energy mix, saying the country needs dependable electricity sources to sustain economic expansion.
“I think nuclear energy has got to be a big part of India’s future,” he said, adding that greater investment in climate science, improved forecasting models and adaptation measures should also remain priorities.
Economic growth will itself help India build resilience against climate challenges, Koonin said, as better infrastructure, stronger public services and wider energy access improve its capacity to handle extreme weather. Countries should also focus on developing lower-emission technologies that cost no more than conventional coal-based power, he added.
Renewable energy expansion has not yet substantially reduced fossil-fuel dependence, the professor noted. Coal, oil and natural gas still account for around 80% of global primary energy consumption, with renewables largely adding to overall energy supply rather than replacing conventional fuels.
The professor identified nuclear power as a vital part of India’s future energy mix, saying the country needs dependable electricity sources to sustain economic expansion.
“I think nuclear energy has got to be a big part of India’s future,” he said, adding that greater investment in climate science, improved forecasting models and adaptation measures should also remain priorities.
Economic growth will itself help India build resilience against climate challenges, Koonin said, as better infrastructure, stronger public services and wider energy access improve its capacity to handle extreme weather. Countries should also focus on developing lower-emission technologies that cost no more than conventional coal-based power, he added.
Renewable energy expansion has not yet substantially reduced fossil-fuel dependence, the professor noted. Coal, oil and natural gas still account for around 80% of global primary energy consumption, with renewables largely adding to overall energy supply rather than replacing conventional fuels.
Citing India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, Koonin said India’s average temperature has risen by about 0.68 degrees Celsius over the past century—considerably less than the average warming recorded across global land areas. On the monsoon, the professor noted that long-term rainfall data shows no significant downward trend, despite wide variations across decades.
He also pointed to changes in northwest India’s Thar Desert, noting that the region has grown wetter and greener over the past two decades alongside gains in agricultural productivity. On extreme weather, Koonin said tropical cyclones have not become more frequent over the long term, nor is there a clear upward trend in deaths linked to extreme temperatures in India.
Referring to IMD figures, the professor noted 35 heatwave-related deaths in the previous year, while acknowledging that some observers believe official tallies undercount such fatalities. India’s farm output has also climbed over the past two decades despite higher temperatures, he said, arguing that climate change has had no detectable impact on the country’s overall economic growth. According to Press Information Bureau releases, India’s total foodgrain production reached an estimated 376.56 million tonnes in 2025–26 (Third Advance Estimates), up from 265.05 million tonnes in 2013–14.
While human activities have influenced the climate, Koonin said current data does not reflect the dramatic shifts often reported. In 2025, under the second presidency of Donald Trump, Koonin was one of the authors of a DoE report, A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate, which questioned the scientific conclusions of greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.
“The question is how climate responds to human influences—are we gonna see more storms, sea level rising more rapidly? The data does not show that,” the professor said, noting that the globe has warmed by 1.3 degrees Celsius and is projected to warm by a similar amount over the next century.
“What gives me hope for the future is that since 1900, the globe has warmed 1.3 degrees Celsius, and it is projected to warm up the same amount over the next century. In the last 120 years, as global temperature rose, population rose, lifespan rose to 70 years, GDP per capita has gone up by a factor of 7, literacy increased, and the death rate from extreme weather also went down,” he said. Reaffirming his point on India’s monsoon, Koonin added: “You can see ups and downs that happen over many decades, but long term it’s hard to see a trend.”
Addressing Delhi’s persistent air pollution crisis, the professor said local pollution and carbon dioxide emissions are distinct problems requiring different policy responses. Local air quality can be tackled through regulation and cleaner technology, he said, citing Los Angeles as a city that cleaned up its air despite population growth. On climate science, Koonin called for stronger monitoring systems, better forecasting models and deeper research into regional climate patterns.
The professor also touched upon geoengineering—specifically solar radiation management, which involves reflecting a fraction of sunlight back into space to lower global temperatures—cautioning that the method carries high risks and could disrupt rainfall patterns.
Ultimately, India should focus on economic growth, wider energy access and climate adaptation while exploring affordable low-emission technologies, rather than letting decarbonisation targets hold back its immediate development needs, Koonin concluded.
