New Delhi : The Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association’s (IVCA) GreenReturns Summit 2025 entered its second day today, bringing together investors, policymakers, climate innovators and industry leaders to discuss India’s climate priorities and the investment pathways needed for a resilient, low-carbon future.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) to the Government of India, highlighted the need to align India’s climate action with its growth trajectory. He noted that India’s climate mitigation efforts are fundamentally linked to the country’s fiscal outlook, developmental needs, and long-term competitiveness.
He said, “India’s climate agenda must strengthen—not slow down—our growth priorities. As a fast-growing economy that has not yet reached peak energy consumption, we have to ensure the availability of affordable and reliable energy while steadily lowering the energy intensity of our growth. The transition must be designed around our development needs, not at their expense.”
He further emphasised the centrality of climate adaptation for developing economies. “Adaptation has to come first for countries like India, because most climate-related losses arise from vulnerability rather than emissions. Strengthening coastal protection, water systems, heat resilience, and climate-smart agriculture will reduce systemic risks and make our transition more stable. As we invest and innovate, we must be fact-based and complete in our assessments, ensuring that our climate pathway is both environmentally sound and economically durable,” he added.
The Summit showcased India’s climate-tech ecosystem through startup presentations, sector deep-dives, and discussions on financing instruments for clean energy, climate resilience, and industrial decarbonisation. Investors and founders highlighted the need for stable policies, demand-side efficiency solutions, and innovations that reduce the energy intensity of growth.
The gathering also underlined India’s approach of sequencing climate action—prioritising resilience, strengthening domestic capabilities, and using innovation to drive a transition that supports economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development.
The IVCA GreenReturns Summit 2025 served as a call for collaborative efforts between government, industry, and investors to build a climate-resilient, future-ready India.
