India has been a leading stakeholder in climate action and is among the few in the G20 in line to meet their commitments under the Paris Accord. It has also taken on a most ambitious target of 450 GW of renewable power by 2030 and has shown the world the way forward on solar power with producers now offering ultra-competitive tariffs. As the world's largest democracy, India is a natural ally of the G7 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's championing of the environment is globally recognised. However, global climate negotiations are not about good collective action for the environment or even energy security; they are strategic negotiations where no quarter is given, and external pressures abound.