The BRICS+ Context and the Role of Emerging Economies in the Green Transition
In an era of rising minilateralism and newly forged alliances amidst a disruptive global world order, the BRICS grouping has emerged as a powerful and collective voice representing the Global South. Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2006—with South Africa joining in 2010—the group has expanded following the Johannesburg Declaration in 2023.[1] As of 2026, the enlarged membership comprises ten member countries:[2] the five founding members and five additional members, viz., Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In addition to full membership, BRICS allows countries to contribute as “partners”. Through an agreement in the Johannesburg Declaration, formalised at the 2024 Kazan Summit,[3] BRICS can invite partner countries to the Leaders’ Summit and other engagements. This mechanism promotes inclusive representation and South-South cooperation on sustainable development by reinforcing shared interests and policy convergences. At the time of writing this report,[4] ten countries hold partner status:[5] Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
More than 30 countries[6] expressed interest in participating in the BRICS grouping as either members or partners in 2024—a strong reflection of its growing popularity and rising significance. While the initial mandate of the grouping was economic integration and expanded market access, the collective agenda has since expanded given the geopolitical, geographic, and demographic profiles of the countries.
Today, the grouping stands as a crucial axis for impact, particularly in accelerating green transitions. As emerging economies poised to drive the majority of future energy demand, and consequently emissions, BRICS countries hold tremendous potential to mitigate climate impacts at the lowest marginal cost of abatement.
Moreover, green transitions are an urgent priority for these countries, which as emerging economies face disproportionately severe climate impacts due to their geographical location, economic sensitivity, and weaker adaptive capacity, despite low historical contributions to global emissions and modest per capita energy consumption. All BRICS+ countries, except Iran and Egypt, have already announced net-zero targets, signalling a strong commitment to climate action. The 2025 Brazilian BRICS Presidency Declaration[7] reaffirmed the group’s firm commitment to the Paris Agreement and to mobilising collective efforts in addressing the global climate challenges.
Table 1: Emissions, Population Share, and Net-Zero Targets of BRICS+ and Additional NDB Members
| Country | % of Global Emissions | % of Global Population | Net-Zero Target Year |
| Brazil | 2.44 | 2.60 | 2050 |
| Russia | 4.84 | 1.76 | 2060 |
| India | 8.22 | 17.8 | 2070 |
| China | 29.20 | 17.3 | 2060 |
| South Africa | 1.07 | 0.786 | 2050 |
| Egypt | 0.73 | 1.43 | – |
| Ethiopia | 0.36 | 1.62 | 2050 |
| Indonesia | 2.49 | 3.48 | 2060 |
| Iran | 1.98 | 1.12 | – |
| United Arab Emirates | 0.50 | 0.133 | 2050 |
| Bangladesh | 0.42 | 2.13 | – |
| Algeria | 0.47 | 0.575 | – |
Source: Authors’ own; data sourced from World Bank Group, Population, total;[8] and UNFCCC, Actor tracking[9]
BRICS countries have made substantial progress in advancing clean energy, even as they balance their rising energy demand due to critical development imperatives. The UAE, for example, despite historical reliance on fossil fuels export revenues, is now spearheading and investing in decarbonisation, driven by evolving economic strategies and geopolitical realities. These shifts are critical as emerging geographies have the highest carbon abatement potential in terms of cost.
However, climate finance remains the most persistent bottleneck for emerging economies in transitioning to net-zero pathways. To address this, BRICS countries have committed to a BRICS Cooperation Framework for Enhancing Financing for Climate Action in the Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance released in July 2025.[10]
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Mannat Jaspal is Director and Fellow, ORF Middle East.
Anil Kishora is former Vice President, New Development Bank.
All views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors, and do not represent the Observer Research Foundation, in its entirety or its officials and personnel.
Endnotes
[1] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, “About the BRICS,” BRICS Brasil, 2025.
[2] Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, “Brief on BRICS”.
[3] BRICS Brasil, “About the BRICS”
[4] BRICS Brasil, “About the BRICS”
[5] BRICS Brasil, “About the BRICS”
[6] BRICS Brasil, “About the BRICS”
[7] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, “BRICS Presidency Declaration reinforces group’s commitment to climate action, energy transition, and reform of global governance institutions,” BRICS Brasil, 2025.
[8] World Bank Group, “Population, total”.
[9] Actor Tracking, UNFCCC, Global Climate Action NAZCA.
[10] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, “Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance,” University of Toronto.
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