BRICS was formally started in 2006, and adopted the nomenclature of BRICS in 2010, with the joining of South Africa. Its main objectives are to foster economic cooperation, reform global governance, and the promotion of a multipolar world order. As of now, BRICS has been addressing issues and challenges such as climate change, terrorism, trade, and economic development. It has expanded its agenda scope by adding health, technology, and sustainability. The geopolitical expansion in 2024-25 by adding members like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE, and Indonesia has metamorphosed BRICS into BRICS+. Now, the same is covering more than 45% of the global population with its growing economic clout. In view of this background, now BRICS+ has been reshaping the global power dynamics.
Sustainability has emerged as BRICS’ central agenda. Sustainability is defined as meeting today’s needs and requirements without compromising the future generations’ needs and requirements, while balancing climate, environment, economy, equity, etc. BRICS has adopted sustainability as its core agenda, particularly after the 2025 Rio Summit, under which inclusive and green governance were emphasised.
The 17th BRICS Summit (6–7 July 2025) was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This Summit was marked by a strategic shift in the bloc’s global role. Under the theme “Strengthening Global South Cooperation and Promoting a More Inclusive and Sustainable Global Governance”, the BRICS Summit focused on six major agenda items, such as Climate Change, Global Health, Trade and Investment, AI Governance, etc. The remarkable achievement of BRICS was the adoption of the Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance stands out as it’s a first-of-its-kind. This commitment on the part of BRICS was aligned with the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. The declaration has proposed mobilisation of $ 300 billion annually by 2035 for climate-related investments. Out of this mobilisation, the organisation has emphasised accessibility and concessional terms to support the developing countries. This move directly addresses long-standing concerns about the inequities in global climate finance.
Concomitantly, Brazil also unveiled the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), which was aimed to channel up to $4 billion annually, which is meant to keep the deforestation rates below 0.5%. With COP30 going to be hosted in Belém, in November 2025, Brazil positioned itself as a climate diplomacy leader among the BRICS member countries. For COP30, Brazil’s Presidency has proposed a very positive, actionable, bold climate roadmap. This roadmap was aimed at shifting the sustainable global focus from promises to practice. The major vision of this roadmap is to revisit the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake (GST) into a “Globally Determined Contribution” (GDC), transforming it into a shared compass for multilateral ambitions. The agendas of the COP30 are structured around six key pillars, which include climate finance, biodiversity and forest protection, along with food system transformation, energy and transport transitions, human development, and urban resilience.
BRICS Presidency, Brazil has emphasised situating the climate into everyday decisions such as investment, insurance, procurement, etc. The presidency invited the member countries, businesses, and civil society to co-create a five-year action plan for the achievement of the targeted agendas. With the proposed sessions, COP30 is marked as a “greenhouse of solutions,” aiming to make collective action the enduring response to climate change.
Sustainability Achievements and Challenges
BRICS countries have achieved considerable progress in sustainability through both individual initiatives and collective actions. In this direction, India has achieved a milestone with the installation of over 119.02 GW of solar power, along with the launching of the International Solar Alliance to promote solar energy across the Global South. China has emerged as one of the global leaders in solar and wind energy. It aims to reach 1 terawatt of solar capacity by 2026, but as of May 2025, total installed solar capacity of the same already reached 1.08 TW. Brazil has emerged as a leader in terms of energy mix, i.e., it is among the cleanest. It relies heavily on bioenergy and hydropower. Meanwhile, South Africa has implemented a carbon tax, along with investing in green hydrogen. Collectively, it is anticipated that BRICS+ countries are projected to turn to more than 80% of their power from renewables by 2050.
In water infrastructure and accessibility, BRICS has been doing well. China’s South-North Water Transfer Project is the world’s largest project. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, India is aiming to provide piped water to every rural household. The New Development Bank (NDB) has financed over $2.5 billion in water-related projects. Circular economy (CE) models have also been emerging in the BRICS meetings. India has launched its national circular economy framework, and Andhra Pradesh is one of the pioneers that launched a state-level policy. China promotes CE through the Circular Economy Promotion Law and Eco-Industrial Parks and Industrial Symbiosis. Brazil focuses on bioeconomy. South Africa has been integrating its circularity in waste and green procurement. Russia is exploring CE through its pilot projects in construction and metallurgy.
Notwithstanding the notable sustainability achievements, on the other hand, BRICS is also facing several structural and institutional challenges towards the climate and sustainability goals. Internal diversities of the member countries in terms of political and economic issues are complicating the consensus. The heavily dependent fossil fuel economies like Russia and Saudi Arabia are in contradiction with Brazil and India, which are in favour of renewable energy. The organisation is lacking a permanent secretariat and binding mechanisms. These shortcomings are limiting the strategic continuity of the organisation. Meanwhile, the geopolitical conflicts in the Global South, bilateral irritants and conflicts, and the intervention of the Global North are undermining the organisation’s collective actions, especially in climate and environment dialogues. Meanwhile, insufficient climate finance is another issue, which was only $1.46 trillion mobilised in 2022, far below the $7.4 trillion that is needed annually to meet Paris Agreement goals.
A Way Forward
To achieve and sustain its goals, BRICS must strengthen climate governance with a permanent Climate Secretariat to coordinate and monitor sustainability-targeted objectives. Mobilising green finance through the NDB’s bond programmes and pushing global climate financial reforms proportional to carbon emissions are essential.
The bottom line of this discussion is that BRICS has emerged as an instrument in shaping a greener, more equitable Global South. With the expansion of its geopolitical membership and growing multilateral global influences, the organisation needs to institutionalise climate governance, mobilise green finance, and champion the South-South sustainability progress. The upcoming COP30 is offering a significant platform to translate agenda ambitions into actions. For achieving and aligning sustainability with strategic cooperation, BRICS has to redefine its global climate leadership and foster resilient, future-ready circular economies.
Leave a Reply