CJI Surya Kant Flags Unequal Burden of Global Clean Energy Transition
August 29, 2026
The global shift towards clean energy is accelerating. But as countries move away from fossil fuels, a larger question is emerging: Who bears the cost of the transition?
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has highlighted this issue while addressing the High-Level Commonwealth Policy Dialogue on Climate Justice in London.
According to Business Standard, Justice Kant said the clean-energy transition must take into account the different circumstances of countries and ensure that its costs are distributed fairly. He pointed out that countries still undergoing industrialisation are being asked to transition rapidly to renewable energy, while many developed nations built their economic strength over decades of coal and oil consumption.
Justice Kant described the climate crisis as having two connected forms of injustice: unequal vulnerability to climate change and unequal costs of transitioning to clean energy.
The impacts of climate change are already unevenly distributed. Low-lying island states, flood-prone delta regions and drought-affected communities can face severe consequences despite having contributed relatively little to historical emissions.
Small farmers and fishing communities are particularly vulnerable because their livelihoods depend directly on land, water and natural ecosystems.
The transition to renewable energy is often presented through solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles.
But these technologies also require significant quantities of minerals.
Justice Kant specifically highlighted the environmental and social costs associated with minerals including copper, cobalt and lithium. Mining and processing these resources can create new pressures on communities and ecosystems.
This creates an important challenge for the energy transition:
A cleaner energy system should not create new forms of environmental hardship for the communities supplying its raw materials.
A successful clean-energy transition cannot be measured only by installed renewable capacity or emissions reductions.
It also needs to consider:
- Who pays for the transition?
- Who benefits from renewable-energy investment?
- How are mining communities protected?
- How are developing economies supported?
- How are vulnerable communities protected from climate impacts?
- How can countries transition without compromising development priorities?
The principle of shared responsibility therefore becomes increasingly important.
Justice Kant also highlighted the changing role of courts in addressing climate and environmental issues.
Climate-related disputes increasingly require judges to engage with scientific information, technical data and policy choices. He called for greater cooperation between judges, scientists and policymakers, along with greater judicial cooperation among Commonwealth countries.
He also argued that legal solutions should account for the constitutional, social and environmental circumstances of individual countries rather than applying identical approaches everywhere.
For the energy industry, the message is significant.
The clean-energy transition is no longer simply about how many gigawatts of solar or wind capacity can be added.
It is increasingly about how those investments interact with communities, supply chains, critical minerals, land, water, economic development and energy security.
India and other developing economies face the challenge of expanding access to affordable energy while simultaneously reducing emissions.
That requires a transition strategy that combines renewable energy growth with economic development, responsible supply chains, storage, transmission infrastructure and social equity.
The world needs to move towards cleaner energy.
But the path to that future matters.
A successful energy transition should not simply replace one form of environmental pressure with another. It should create a system where the benefits of cleaner energy are widely shared and the costs are fairly distributed.
The goal should not be a faster transition at any cost. It should be a cleaner, more resilient and more equitable energy future.
