India & its Net-Zero Emission Target

India's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 faces significant challenges, including balancing economic growth with climate action, managing resource constraints, and addressing global inequities in climate responsibility. The outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election could also influence global climate efforts and financing, particularly for developing countries like India.

What is India’s Target?

• India has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, but this target is seen as long-term and difficult due to challenges like financial constraints and resource limitations (land, water, etc.).
• India's per capita emissions are among the lowest globally, but the richest 10% in India have emissions 20 times higher than the poorest 10%. Climate change disproportionately impacts the poor, worsening inequality.
• Global Carbon Budget:
  • To limit global temperature rise to 5°C above pre-industrial levels (the goal set by the Paris Agreement), the world has a limited carbon budget of about 400-500 billion tonnes of CO?.
  • Current global emissions are around 40 Gt (gigatonnes) of CO? per year, which means emissions must drop significantly to stay within the carbon budget.
• This means net global emissions must drop drastically to stay within the carbon budget. Several countries have announced net-zero targets, but we also really need a sharp decline in total emissions.

Progress Made So Far (2021 to Mid-2024)

• India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has seen its annual emissions reach approximately 3 billion tonnes, with an 8% year-on-year increase from pandemic levels. However, significant efforts have been made to decarbonize various sectors, primarily under the Panchamrit Action Plan, which includes key initiatives to reduce emissions across critical sectors through subsidies, frameworks, and mandates.
• Energy Sector Decarbonization: India aims to increase its non-fossil fuel capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and meet 50% of consumer demand through renewables.
• Key Initiatives:
  • The government prioritizes the domestic production of photovoltaic modules under the PLI scheme.
  • Building resilient transmission infrastructure for renewable energy via the Green Energy Corridor Initiative.
  • Offering heavy subsidies for solarizing irrigation pumps through the PM-KUSUM scheme.
  • To address grid stability challenges arising from intermittent renewable energy, the Ministry of Power is promoting the development of pumped storage and small hydel projects.
• Green Hydrogen Development:India has doubled efforts to produce green hydrogen to decarbonize energy-intensive industries and transportation. Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India aims to become a global hub for the production, usage, and export of green hydrogen.
• Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Battery Storage:To make EVs financially viable, the GOI has introduced a Battery Swapping Policy and the PLI Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC), focusing on reducing battery costs (which account for about 40% of vehicle costs).
  • As of recent data, EVs account for nearly 5% of total vehicle sales, with the 3-wheeler segment seeing 50% penetration, driven by strong demand from last-mile EV operators and ride-hailing providers.
• Carbon Sequestration and Urban Green Spaces:The Ministry of Environment has also planned to enhance carbon sequestration through natural carbon sinks, aiming to create up to 1,000 Nagar Vans (urban forests) across India.380 Nagar Vans are already sanctioned.
• Renewable Energy and Carbon Markets:India is fourth globally in total renewable capacity, demonstrating an impressive 400% growth over the last decade. The government has also made strides in carbon credit markets, allowing non-obligated companies to voluntarily participate and reduce their carbon footprints.

What challenges are faced by India?

• Equity in Climate Action: The developed world, which caused the majority of historical emissions, is expected to lead in cutting emissions and provide financial support to developing countries. However, this hasn’t happened at the required scale. Developing countries like India face the dilemma of balancing development goals (poverty alleviation, economic growth) with the need for climate action.
• India’s Growing Power Demand:India’s power demand is expected to rise dramatically in the coming decades, potentially 9-10 times by 2070, due to economic growth, urbanization, and electrification of sectors.
  • Meeting this demand solely with renewable energy (solar, wind) will be difficult, requiring massive expansion in solar (5,500 GW) and wind (1,500 GW) power capacity, far beyond current levels.
• Land and Resource Constraints:Meeting renewable energy targets will lead to land-use trade-offs. For instance, to achieve over 3,500 GW of solar and 900 GW of wind would require large amounts of land that could affect food security, biodiversity, and other natural resources.
  • India needs to carefully manage its land for renewable energy, agriculture, and forests to avoid unsustainable trade-offs.
• Balancing Development and Sustainability:India faces a tough balancing act: improving the quality of life for its population while achieving climate goals.The goal should not be to replicate the high consumption lifestyles of developed countries, but instead to focus on "sufficiency consumption", where growth is balanced with sustainability.

What measures should be adopted?

• Demand-Side Measures for Sustainability:To meet climate goals, India must focus on both supply-side (renewable energy, nuclear power) and demand-side measures:
  • Energy-efficient buildings, better construction materials, and passive designs to reduce the need for air-conditioning.
  • Public transport, non-motorized transport (walking, cycling), and mindful consumption patterns (e.g., local food, reducing long-haul freight).
  • Use of alternative fuels in industries and electrification of sectors like transportation and agriculture.
• Energy Diversification and Nuclear Power:India also needs to diversify its energy mix, including further investment in nuclear power to provide a low-carbon baseload and complement intermittent renewable sources like solar and wind.Nuclear energy can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels while meeting growing electricity demands.
• Global Climate Targets Are Tightening:As the world moves towards net-zero emissions, the window for delaying climate action is closing. Every year of delay will make it harder to meet climate targets.While global politics (like U.S. presidential elections) may affect progress, India and other countries must continue to take action where they can.