John Kerry to visit India on April 6

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry will be visiting India on April 6, the second top Biden Administration official to visit India in the last one month. March saw the visit of US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin. The visit by top American officials comes even as both New Delhi and Washington increase engagement on several fronts, from cooperation against Covid to climate change.

During the visit, John Kerry will hold talks with India's Environment Prakash Javadekar and expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Climate has been a key priority area for the new US administration. On the first day of his office, President Biden announced the US joining the Paris Climate Pact, from which previous US president Trump had withdrawn.

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The visit comes even as US President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a leader's summit on climate that he will host on April 22 and 23. The summit will be virtual, and the invitation has also been extended to India's neighbours like Bhutan's Lotay Tshering, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina.

According to the White House, the aim of the summit is, "galvanizing efforts by the world’s major economies to reduce emissions during this critical decade to keep a limit to warming of 1.5 degree Celsius within reach.". Summit will reconvene the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which brings together 17 countries responsible for approximately 80 per cent of global emissions and global GDP.

India has its own ambitious International Solar Alliance which aims to harness solar energy to fight climate change. As of January 15, 2021, 89 Countries have signed the Framework Agreement of the ISA. India is expected to talk about that during Kerry's India visit and also the upcoming Climate Meet led by the US.