Outlook Planet C3 Kicks Off with Focus on India’s Energy Security and Green Transition

The second edition of Outlook Planet’s flagship event, Outlook Planet C3—Climate, Circularity and Community—kicked off on Friday, with a call for solutions to make India self-reliant in the green economy by Neeraj Thakur, Editor, Outlook Business. He pointed to ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling it an act of "bullying" by the superpower US.

"All this is happening because the US is sitting on a debt of more than $35 trillion, which is almost 10 times the GDP of India, which is the 4th largest economy in the world. You understand what's at stake for the world superpower that has decided to behave like a roadside bully," he said.

Adding that the US wants to take over Greenland. It has already taken over the oil assets of Venezuela and has waged a deadly war against Iran, which is wrecking the world economy.

Thakur explained how its immediate impact is on the Indian economy, which does not have its own source of fossil fuel. The Outlook Business editor noted that the answer for India in its current crisis lies in "energy security".

"Till a month ago, we were a flourishing economy… suddenly the Prime Minister of India had to inform Parliament that we need to be ready for a Covid-like situation. We have seen this situation several times in the past. We even went bankrupt in the 90s due to the same reason," he said.

Adding that for decades India had hoped that it would find oil and gas within the country. But it has failed, except for a few discoveries like Bombay High, operated by ONGC.

"While we have been discussing green energy sources like solar, wind and hydrogen for many decades, we are nowhere close to making them mainstream, for various reasons. And that is what is hurting Indian industry today. If we had developed storage capacity for green energy, our industry would be in a much better position," Thakur said.

Following this, Sudipto Dey, Editor of Outlook Planet, set the agenda for the two-day conference, along with explaining the theme of the second edition—India’s transition to a green economy in a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) world.

"The theme reflects what it takes to run a business at this time," he said, adding that the VUCA term was coined in the 1980s by the US Army in the post-Cold War era to describe a chaotic, multilateral world. He added that the global climate narrative has shifted from ambition to action, and the spotlight is now on innovative and scalable solutions. He explained that Outlook Planet C3 has captured this change.

C3 will host discussions on key themes such as climate innovation, circular economy models, sustainable finance, mobility transition and measurable community impact. It will also examine how India can boost domestic competitiveness while progressing towards its net-zero goals and ensuring inclusive growth.