Gautam Adani warns of 'narrative colonisation', calls for resource sovereignty

"In 200 years of industrial activity, Bharat has contributed just 4 per cent of cumulative global emissions, against 13 per cent from Europe, 19 per cent from the US and 20 per cent from China," Adani said.

Dhanbad: Billionaire Gautam Adani on Tuesday warned against what he called "narrative colonisation" by some of history's highest emitters who now lecture developing nations on carbon reduction, saying India must not allow external pressures to shape its development priorities or risk having its growth "criminalised."

Speaking at the centenary of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, he said India must define its own growth path at a time when global alliances are fracturing and nations are acting primarily in self-interest.

The Adani Group chairman said sovereignty in the 21st century would rest on a nation's command over its natural resources and energy systems, calling these the twin pillars of economic independence.

"We live in an era of narrative colonisation, where the very nations that plundered resources, enslaved continents, and burned fossil fuels for two centuries, now stand on moral platforms in foreign capitals," he said.

Many of them now want to dictate the pace and style of India's development.

"It is quite a paradox that those who heated the planet now want to set the rules for how we must cool the planet," he said.

"This is the modern narrative. And so, if we do not control our own narrative, our growth will be criminalised, our aspirations de-legitimised, and our right to improve our standard of living showcased as a global offence."

He argued that countries responsible for historic emissions were now seeking to influence how developing nations pursue growth, despite India having among the world’s lowest per-capita emissions.

Adani said this weaponised narrative surfaced at the 2025 COP-30, where a report downgraded India's sustainability ranking, arguing that the country lacks a coal-exit timeline and continues to auction coal blocks.

He then dealt with the issue with data points.

India, he said, is the world's third-largest electricity consumer but on a per-person basis, it consumes less than 1,400 kWh a year - less than half the global average, one-tenth of America, and a fifth of Europe.

It ranks third in total CO2 emitted. But, on a per capita basis, its 1.4 billion people emit under 2 tonnes, compared to 14 tonnes in the US, 9 tonnes in China and 6 tonnes in Europe.

"In 200 years of industrial activity, Bharat has contributed just 4 per cent of cumulative global emissions, against 13 per cent from Europe, 19 per cent from the US and 20 per cent from China," he said.

Referring to India's low per-capita electricity consumption and carbon emissions, Adani criticised international sustainability rankings that penalise developing economies for continued coal use. He said India must expand base-load fossil capacity to eliminate energy poverty even as it leads "the fastest energy transition in human history".

He said the age of collaborative global trade and supply chains is collapsing.

"We are all seeing nations, once bound by strong alliances, retreating into the shadows of self-preservation. The battles for rare earths, semiconductors, tariffs, and the collapse of trade treaties are now the new normal - and not the exception."

And in this environment, even the most prominent global institutions, such as NATO, the WTO, and the UN are being forced to reconsider their established frameworks and rules of engagement.

Sovereignty, he said, is defined as the ability to govern oneself without external influence and control.

"And, in this era, where self-preservation dominates the global order, two pillars will be necessary to shape our sovereignty. First, master the resources below our feet, for he who commands his earth commands his sovereignty. Second, master the energy that fuels our rise, for she who owns her fire, owns her sovereignty," he said.

Sovereignty belongs to those who command their earth. And those who command their earth, command their energy, he added.

He highlighted that India has already surpassed 50 per cent non-fossil installed power capacity ahead of global commitments, and said sustainability assessments that ignore per-capita metrics or historical responsibility embed systemic biases against developing economies.

Adani cited his group's Carmichael coal project in Australia as an example of global "narrative battles", saying the mine was essential for India's energy security despite international opposition. He contrasted this with the group's renewable investments, including the 30-GW Khavda solar and wind park in Gujarat, where 10 GW have already been commissioned.

Positioning mining and earth sciences as central to the future clean-energy economy, Adani said minerals such as rare earths, lithium, copper, silicon and uranium would define the next decades of industrial growth.

"Without you, there is no new economy," he told students. Closing his address, Adani urged students to participate in what he called India's "second freedom struggle" for resource sovereignty, saying future growth would depend on their ability to innovate in mining, materials and energy systems.

"People may call mining the old economy," he said. "But without it, there is no new economy."