Erik Solheim, Former Executive Director, UNEP, said that India’s 6.5 GW pumped-storage and renewable energy projects highlighted how the Global South was leading climate action through business initiatives rather than diplomacy. He noted that green growth from Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu demonstrated that sustainability and prosperity could advance together, setting an example of global leadership and creating a lasting environmental impact.
He was speaking at the 2nd Yuva Sustainability Conference on “Beyond COP30: Youth for Climate Action”, organised on 13 December 2025 under the Yuva Sustainability Internship Programme by Voices of Bharat: Yuva for Sustainability, a Sustainability Karma initiative, with Lok Samvad Sansthan as the implementation partner, in association with the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Jamia Millia Islamia.