Obama won't be able to repeat his China climate change deal in India. Here's the next best thing.

But here's the next best thing

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi))

Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commit to action on climate change ranks high on President Barack Obama's list of priorities during his visit to India. The recent U.S.-China agreement sparked optimism on climate change cooperation between industrialized and developing countries. Now the United States is keen to strike a deal with India — the world's third-largest emitter — as well.

The U.S. and India on Sunday announced a modest deal to curb hydrofluorocarbons, a greenhouse gas emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners; work together at climate talks in Paris later this year; and finance India's solar power targets. It is a far more limited agreement than the one hashed out with China. Dismissing the comparison, Modi said, "India is an independent country, and there is no pressure on us from any country or any person."

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Michael Shank

Michael Shank, PhD, is the director of media strategy at Climate Nexus and adjunct faculty at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Shank is a senior fellow at the JustJobs Network and a former congressional staffer.