BRICS leaders used the New Delhi Declaration to oppose carbon border adjustment mechanisms, the import taxes the EU and UK plan to apply to carbon-intensive goods. The declaration calls CBAMs unilateral, punitive, discriminatory, and protectionist, and says they undermine developing countries' efforts to adapt to climate change and build resilience. CBAMs are designed to price the emissions embedded in products like steel, cement, aluminum, and fertilizers when they cross a border. Supporters see them as a way to stop carbon leakage. BRICS members argue the costs fall unfairly on developing economies and bypass established climate finance channels. Nothing in the declaration offers a replacement mechanism. For exporters in BRICS countries, the practical question remains whether EU and UK import rules will still require emissions reporting, regardless of the political statement.
