India has set an ambitious target: Net Zero by 2070. However, if we want that pledge to mean anything, we must start where the emissions are dirtiest and most unavoidable - the underground, in our mines.
Coal and minerals are still the backbone of India’s growth. They power our steel, cement, and electricity. They employ millions. Yet mining is also among the most carbon-intensive sectors we have. We cannot wish it away, and we definitely cannot afford to ignore it.
The good news is that progress has begun. Non-fossil fuel capacity has gone from 36% in 2010 to 53% in 2026. That is a real shift but the hard truth is this: coal will remain essential for baseload power for decades. The question is not “coal or no coal.” The question is “how do we mine cleaner?”
The path is already visible. It requires three moves.
First, technology- We need methane capture from coal mines instead of venting it into the air. We need electrification of heavy mining equipment. We need carbon capture, utilization and storage - CCUS, piloted at scale, not just in PowerPoint. We also need afforestation and scientific reclamation of abandoned mines to act as carbon sinks.
Second, economics- Mining companies must pivot from chasing volume to chasing value. That means earning through carbon credits, through efficiency, and through cleaner products that command a premium. A transparent, well-regulated carbon market is not a luxury. It is the incentive structure that will make decarbonization pay for itself.
Third, governance - This cannot be left to individual firms. India needs a national task force on mining decarbonization with clear timelines, funding, and accountability. We need mandatory methane monitoring. We need real-time environmental audits. And we need to stop treating mine reclamation as an afterthought.
There is a larger strategic reason to get this right. India is a developing economy. The world will watch whether we can grow and cut emissions at the same time. If we can decarbonize mining while keeping the lights on and factories running, we offer a model for every other coal-dependent nation. If we fail, our Net Zero pledge will look like optics.
The risk is that we delay. Cleaner coal tech is expensive. CCUS is unproven at scale. Carbon markets are still nascent. It is easier to postpone hard decisions. Nonetheless, postponement is also a decision, to let emissions accumulate and costs compound.
India’s advantage is scale. We have the mines, the engineers, and the demand to drive innovation down in cost. What we need now is political will to treat mining not as a sunset industry to be defended, but as a sunrise industry to be transformed.
The race to 2070 will not be won in climate summits. It will be won in the shafts of Jharkhand, the pits of Odisha, and the boardrooms of Coal India.
Decarbonize mining, and Net Zero becomes credible. Ignore it, and the pledge stays on paper.