Clean and fair

Ajust, equitable and inclusive transition is essential to meet India’s climate targets

- MADHAV PAI

INDIA STANDS AT the threshold of significant economic growth. By 2047, the country aims to transform into a $30 trillion economy, achieving the status of a developed nation and attaining energy independence. The nation’s GDP is projected to double from the current $3.6 trillion by 2030, and another 200 million people are expected to be added to the current 1.4 billion in the next three decades.

To support this growth and enhance the standard of living for its citizens, India is making substantial investments in energy, transportation and urban infrastructure. However, this transformation is unfolding against the backdrop of global climate change, necessitating sustainable, resilient and inclusive development strategies.

In 2021, India ranked as the 7th most vulnerable country to climate change and, in the same year, suffered losses of $159 billion due to extreme heat. As many as 17 of 20 Indians are vulnerable to extreme hydro-meteorological disasters. A disproportionate amount of this burden is borne by vulnerable communities—49 per cent of urban Indians live in informal settlements, with unequal access to basic services, decent work and safe, healthy environments. The annual monsoons, on which the country’s agrarian economy is largely dependent, have become unpredictable, impacting food production and nutritional security, especially of small and marginal land holders.

TRANSITIONING TOWARDS CLEAN ENERGY

More than 745 million people globally still lack access to electricity. At the same time, energy is responsible for 73 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.