With 45 years to net-zero, is India’s path sustainable?

Climate Action and the U.S. Presidential Election
• The 2024 U.S. presidential election could significantly impact the planet’s climate future.
• The challenge lies in operationalizing global cooperation towards a common cause, even when national interests don’t align with it.

India’s Commitment to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions
• India committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
• The country has implemented several policies and is working on others to support this transition.
• The journey will be challenging, especially financial ones, and other resource constraints such as land or water availability also matter.

The Need for Net-Zero Emissions
• Climate change is becoming more evident, and the world must keep the global average annual surface temperature rise to within 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels.
• The Sixth Assessment Report of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the remaining global carbon budget for a 50-67% chance of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 °C is 400-500 billion tonnes of CO2.
• Several countries have announced net-zero targets, but a sharp decline in total emissions is also needed.

The Equitable Transition to Net-Zero Emissions
• Developed countries are expected to lead this transition and reach net-zero emissions well before 2050.
• Developing countries, especially small islands, bear more than their fair share of the brunt of climate change.
• COP-29 is expected to build consensus on the level of financing required.

India’s Per-Capita Emissions
• India’s per-capita emissions are among the lowest in the world, but the richest 10% are 20-times greater than that of the poorest 10%.
• If India fails to meet the developed world’s lifestyle standards, it could face significant food shortages, extreme heat stress in urban areas, and irreversible biodiversity loss.

The Need for a Long-Term Strategy
• India needs to envision a long-term strategy incorporating’sufficiency consumption corridors’ to maintain a sustainable pathway.
• Demand-side measures include better construction materials, energy-efficient appliances, public transport, local products, mindful dietary choices, and alternative fuels in industries.
• India needs to further decentralise energy production and expand its nuclear power generation capacity.