Climate change has moved beyond the realm of environmental policy to reshape global security, economic governance, and diplomatic strategy. The concept of climate security captures how extreme weather events, water scarcity, heat stress, glacial retreat, and ecological degradation increasingly threaten livelihoods, social stability, and national development. For India, these pressures are deeply tangible. As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries with vast coastlines, Himalayan ecosystems, agrarian dependencies and densely populated cities, India confronts escalating climate risks even as it pursues rapid economic growth and poverty alleviation.

This paper examines India’s evolving role in the politics of climate security highlighting its dual identity as both a vulnerable state and an emerging global leader. It analyses India’s domestic climate risks, policy architecture, renewable energy transition and adaptive governance frameworks alongside its expanding international engagement. Particular attention is given to institutional innovations such as the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, which reflect India’s effort to translate normative commitments into practical global initiatives.

The paper argues that India’s climate politics cannot be understood neither as merely defensive which is aimed at preserving developmental space nor as simply reactive to environmental shocks. Rather, India has cultivated a calibrated form of climate leadership grounded in equity, climate justice and the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities while simultaneously advancing ambitious national targets in renewable energy and sustainability. By balancing developmental imperatives with global responsibility, India articulates a distinctive model of climate agency that links vulnerability with strategic leadership in an era of profound ecological and geopolitical transition.