India's Race Towards Net-Zero Emissions

Considering its level of GDP and natural resources, has India adequate long-term emission strategies? Following PM Narendra Modi's pledge at COP26 in Glasgow to achieve

net-zero emissions by 2070, the government has also outlined its intentions and its achievements regarding the same. However, can India realistically achieve such a huge target without hurting its developmental prospects? In this essay we are going to enumerate several steps that India’s planned to achieve its Net-Zero goals.

India’s Measures so far:

In the light of India’s net zero goal, India aspires to promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle that is grounded in customs, conservation, and moderation. This includes promoting the global movement known as LIFE, or lifestyle for the environment. This can be attributed to India’s commitment in 2015 with her Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC outlined a target of 50% non-fossil capacity by 2030 in terms of renewable energy. The government established a variety of regulations, including the Captive Power Plants, Open Access Consumers, and Renewable Purchase Obligation for Power Distribution Companies. Development of solar parks, exemptions from transmission fees, and capital subsidies for rooftop solar panels on homes and agricultural solar pumps are examples of policies and financial incentives. Promotion of hydropower through several legislative initiatives are done to harness the nation's hydropower potential and encourage it through hydro purchase commitments. India also aims to increase its nuclear installed capacity of three times by 2032. Market competitiveness and marketing for green electricity is being carried out for more seamless renewable energy integration.

In Focus: Domestic Energy Consumption

In this context, the government has also introduced programs like UJALA. As of November

2021, more than 367 million LED bulbs had been deployed, saving 38 million tons of CO2. LPG cover increased under a different program, PMUY, from 62% in 2016 to 99% in 2021, replacing coal-based cooking. By 2030, India wants to add 2.5–3 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent to the global carbon sink. Additionally, by 2030, 26 million hectares of degraded land are to be restored. With forests and tree cover covering 26.2% of the land area, the estimated carbon stock in those woods is 7,204 million tons. India's efforts may also be measured thanks to the Climate Equity Monitor (CEM), which projects its equitable portion of the remaining carbon budget at 89.4 gigaton CO2 and 241.3 gigaton CO2, respectively, given a 50% chance of staying within 1.5–2 degrees Celsius. As of July 2023, India has an installed power generation capacity of roughly 404 GW, of which 168 GW (or 41%) came from non-fossil sources.

In Focus: Transportation:

India wants to blend 20% ethanol into gasoline in the transportation sector. It also aims to

immediately attain Bharat Stage VI emissions by bypassing Bharat Stage V emissions.

Additionally, Indian railways aim to achieve net-zero status by 2030, which would result in an annual reduction of 60 million tons of CO2. According to the MOEFCC

(2021), the transportation sector accounts for 9.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions in India and 12.1% of energy-related CO2 emissions. With the National Urban Transport Policy of 2006 and the Metro Rail Policy of 2017, it also sought to increase and improve rail transportation in order to make the switch from fuel-based to electricity-based transportation. It has also laid out a thorough plan specifically for electric cars. India has also declared that end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) must be replaced and that obsolete, unsafe, polluting cars must be scrapped. Corporate average fuel economy standards were also implemented, leading to requirements placed on automakers to guarantee fuel-efficient design throughout their product line. India now has a low overall automobile penetration rate of 32 per 1000 inhabitants. Therefore, the widespread adoption of EVs by customers will aid in the reduction of emissions by citizens. Railway electrification is already under way; as of March 2022, 80% of the broad gauge network was electrified

Evaluation of India’s Measures:

The nation's renewable energy sector has expanded significantly, rising from 39 gigawatts in 2015 to 110 gigawatts in 2022. Through the production-lined incentives (PLI) program for solar gadgets, electric vehicles (EVs), and battery storage, manufacturing in the renewable sector is also encouraged. Since current nuclear power generation levels save 41 million tons of CO2 emissions a year, we can also see the impact of nuclear energy. India is also taking proactive measures to shut down inefficient thermal plants, thereby reducing emissions and electricity generation. 241 units with a combined capacity of 17281 MW were retired as of September 2021. India pledged in the 2015 UNFCCC to cut its GDP's emission intensity by 45% by 2030. It also sought to achieve, by 2030, an installed capacity of electric power that is approximately 50% derived from non-fossil fuel sources. MoEFCC (2022). At 75% of the total generation, coal currently plays a major part in India's electrical system. Since the most recent CoP 28 conference, India has been hesitant to phase out coal. Its goal

was to gradually phase out coal. Currently, 75% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in India

come from the energy sector, with electricity accounting for more than half of these emissions.

But there are certain gaps between the reality on the ground and this policy's design. First of all, the funding source is still unknown. The next three are adaptation and financing; the last three are increasing expenses and fiscal losses as a result of the low-carbon transition. The federal government and state governments clearly do not have a lot of money to spend, and the cost of financing will go up even more because operational delays will make costs rise even more. Additionally, we see that people resist change when the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon state is still high. Take, for instance, the price difference between an EV and a fuel-powered vehicle. As a result, we can see that India has made significant progress in reducing emissions over the long run. Its current policy actions suggest that India is headed in the right direction, but there are still certain gaps that need to be filled.