US fossil fuel push undo climate progress now , 17 Feb.

New Delhi: The US’ focus on drilling oil and gas, among the most polluting US fossil fuel , will reverse the climate action progress and have an adverse impact on the sector, according to Vibha Dhawan, director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri).

The stance of the new US administration is a cause for concern because a lot of inputs were required for people to take climate change seriously, which may be undone, Dhawan said in an interview with Mint. “We had to convince people to take action against climate change.”

Dhawan, speaking ahead of the curtain raiser for the Teri’s World Sustainable Development Summit 2025, said the US is equally impacted by climate change, and that policy nudges towards fossil fuel adoption will not be feasible in the long run for anyone.

“This is happening at a time when there were fires in California. I personally feel it’s going to be temporary,” Dhawan said. “I’m sure they’re going to take a pause and understand what are going to be the long-term implications.”

Also read | Climate Change and AI’s rising carbon footprint

The US’ focus on carbon-emitting energy sources is also a cause for worry because of the dependency on American institutions to provide for climate change mitigation funding, Dhawan said. “…we do require some financial and technological help (from US-based institutions) for energy transition.”

Being apprehensive about the funding cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) issued by Elon Musk-led department of government efficiency (DOGE), Dhawan said USAID has not completely stopped funding, but is instead evaluating all outgo. There will, however, be some short-term negative impact, she added.

USAID is an independent agency of the US government that provides civilian foreign aid and development assistance in multiple nations. For instance, Reuters reported on 13 February that environmental funding by USAID worth about $70 million for Colombia was frozen as a part of the review initiated by the Trump-led government on 20 January this year.

Indigenous funding towards climate research, however, may be the solution, according to Dhawan. “Yes, the US was one of the largest funders (of climate research). So immediate impact is going to be there. But I’m sure realizing the importance of this subject, philanthropists will come forward and fund this research,” Dhawan said, adding that major Indian conglomerates can also fuel climate research.

Also read | CoP cop-out: Fossil fuel still has a global advantage

Teri’s exposure to US-based funds is about 1-2% of its total funding, amounting to about ₹2 crore, said Dhawan.

She reiterated that climate action is crucial for everyone, as the ill-effects of climate change, such as erratic weather phenomena, impact everyone.

“Let us look at Delhi today. Yesterday’s temperature was 28.4 degree centigrade, day temperature. It is still middle of February. Now this kind of weather we used to have after Holi while this year it is in middle of Feb,” she said. “Now for us, it is pleasant, but what happens to the crops?”

Dhawan said crops such as wheat need to grow in colder temperatures for the best yields. Higher temperatures will result in the loss of productivity and quality, she said.