It’s not unusual for temperatures in India’s Thar Desert to reach 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). Even when they drop, hot winds sweep across the bare plains. The soil here is infertile, water is scarce. This place is near unlivable for humans – but it’s ideal for one of the world’s biggest solar farms.

This photo taken on October 6, 2021 shows solar panels at the Bhadla Solar Park in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

The Bhadla Solar Park in Rajasthan state, near India’s border with Pakistan, is a symbol of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gargantuan ambitions to transform his nation into a green energy powerhouse. By 2030, Modi wants half of India’s energy to come from renewables.

It’s a huge and admirable goal from the world’s third-biggest carbon emitter, but achieving it will require trillions of dollars and some tough decisions by Modi.

While renewable energy is growing faster in India than in any other major economy, the country remains reliant on coal, which has long powered the country’s growth and accounts for more than 80% of its energy mix. Indian officials have also said the country plans to expand its use of the fossil fuel even as many of its nearly 1.4 billion people choke on the pollution it causes.

In the past, India has defended its use of planet-warming fossil fuels in the name of development – a stance that has seen it criticized at international climate talks.

At last year’s COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, Scotland, India led a last-minute objection to language in a proposed joint statement around phasing out coal. Its chief delegate argued government fossil fuel subsidies to the public must continue – how else could India get fuel like natural gas to poor people who are still burning wood to cook their meals, he asked.

That exchange highlights the contradiction at the heart of India’s stance on climate change – that Modi’s government can continue to set lofty goals, but when it comes to realizing them, his country is caught in a Catch-22 between development and decarbonization.

India’s Power Minister Raj Kumar Singh demonstrated that dilemma in September when he announced plans to add 56 gigawatts of coal power to India’s energy mix by 2030 while also investing in renewable energy – emphasizing the need to prioritize reliable power for growth.

That’s bad news for the global fight against climate change, where India’s actions have widespread ramifications.

India emits over 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year based on data collected by the EU. An analysis of its plans by the Climate Action Tracker show that the country’s goals are “critically insufficient” to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above levels before industrialization. Warming beyond that threshold will trigger irreversible damage and push many ecosystems to tipping points, climate science shows.