Context

India's commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, announced at the COP26 climate talks, highlights its ambitious targets for carbon neutrality and renewable energy adoption. India's emphasis on black carbon reduction, particularly through initiatives like the PMUY scheme, underscores its commitment to addressing regional health issues and achieving sustainable development goals while contributing to global climate mitigation efforts.

1: Dimension- India's Climate Commitments and Renewable Energy Targets

• At theCOP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November 2021, India pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the race to carbon neutrality. 
• According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India has installed a renewable energy capacity of over 180 GW by 2023 and is expected to meet its target of 500 GW by 2030. 

2: Dimension-Risks of Black Carbon 

• Global warming: Black carbon is the dark, sooty material emitted alongside other pollutants when biomass and fossil fuels are not fully combusted. 
• Severe health risks: There is a direct link between exposure to black carbon and a higher risk of heart disease, birth complications, and premature death. 
• Source: Most black carbon emissions in India arise from burning biomass, such as cow dung or straw, in traditional cookstoves. 
  • Residential sector contributes 47% of India’s total black carbon emissions. 
  • Industries contribute a further 22%, diesel vehicles 17%, open burning 12%, and other sources 2%. 
• Decarbonisation efforts in the industry and transport sectors in the past decade have yielded reductions in black carbon emissions, but the residential sector remains a challenge.

3: Dimension-Impact of Pradhan MantriUjjwalaYojana (PMUY) 

• The programme has been able to play a vital role in reducing black carbon emissions, as it offers a cleaner alternative to traditional fuel consumption. The programme has provided connections to over 10 crore households as of January 2024. 
• However, in 2022-2023, 25% of all PMUY beneficiaries — 2.69 crore people — availed either zero LPG refill or only one LPG refill, according to RTI data, meaning they still relied entirely on traditional biomass for cooking.
• The average PMUY beneficiary household consumes only 3.5-4 LPG cylinders per year instead of the six or seven a regular non-PMUY household uses. This means up to half of all the energy needs of a PMUY beneficiary household are still met by traditional fuels.
• A shortage of LPG and higher usage of traditional fuels also affect women and children disproportionately. They are more prone to higher levels of indoor air pollution, causing many health issues and leading to premature deaths.

4: Dimension- Challenges in Implementation

• Rapid increase in LPG prices: In October 2023, the government increased the LPG subsidy to Rs 300 from Rs 200. Most PMUY beneficiaries find the price too high, more so since cow dung, firewood, etc. are ‘free’ alternatives. 
• Low refill rate: While it is the rightful duty of the government to make clean fuel affordable through subsidies, the problem of low refill rates persists.
• Connectivity issue: Another big hurdle to the PMUY’s success is the lack of last-mile connectivity in the LPG distribution network, resulting in remote rural areas depending mostly on biomass.

The key to enhancing the quality of life in these areas lies primarily in securing access to clean cooking fuels. While the future holds the promise of meeting energy needs in rural areas through renewable sources, the immediate benefits for rural communities are poised to come from using LPG.The local production of coal-bed methane (CBM) gas by composting biomass is also a solution. CBM is a much cleaner fuel with lower black-carbon emissions and investment. Panchayats can take the initiative to produce CBM gas locally at the village level, ensuring every rural household can access clean cooking fuel.