How China and India are navigating the energy transition amid shifting geopolitics

Oct 24, 2025

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This episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast explores the rapidly changing global landscape for the energy transition and how factors like geopolitical tensions, AI and government policies are driving change ahead of COP30, the UN's upcoming Climate Change Conference of the parties.

We examine these dynamics through the lens of the world's two most populous countries: India and China.

We talk with Carlos Pascual, Senior Vice President and Head of Geopolitics and International Affairs at S&P Global Commodity Insights and a former US Ambassador to Mexico and Ukraine. He outlines the complexities of US-China relations, including the competition for technological dominance and energy resources.

"In many ways, China has developed a degree of technology expertise that is having an impact on this relationship in ways that have not been expected," Carlos says.

To understand how India is navigating these dynamics, we talk with Vaishali Nigam Sinha, Co-Founder and Chairperson of Sustainability at ReNew, a decarbonization solutions company deploying renewables and other low-carbon technologies in India. She highlights the importance of international collaboration for accessing technology, critical minerals and financing for renewable projects.

"This clean energy transition is not about individual countries," Vaishali says. "It's about what all of us can do together."

Vaishali also emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities in the energy transition to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate.

We sat down with Carlos and Vaishali on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus, where the All Things Sustainable podcast was an official media partner during Climate Week NYC.

Listen to our interview with the CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, or WBCSD: Kicking off Climate Week NYC in a fragmented global landscape

Read S&P Global's key takeaways from Climate Week NYC: 5 Climate Week NYC takeaways setting the scene for decision-making in 2026 | S&P Global

Read the latest energy and climate scenarios from S&P Global Commodity Insights: Beyond the Energy Transition | S&P Global

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.

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