India may have been the last country to pledge to reduce the greenhouse gas emission intensity ahead of the Paris climate summit later this year. All eyes were on India, who along with China are the world’s two largest developing nations. India’s pledge to reduce emissions by 33 to 35 percent is a bold move, especially given the fact that it has a massive dependence on coal, possibly the biggest factor in this move to build a greener country.
India may be the world’s third largest emitter but it is also a very populated nation. Since the levels are calculated by per capita emissions, the country has a per capita average of 1.75 compared to the world average of 4, or the developed country average (particularly China) of 10. This is why India’s pledge and its plan is of vital importance to the rest of the world, especially under-developed nations.
India has a large dependence on coal for its energy needs. This will have to change. There is a plan to have 100GW solar power by 2022, which has sparked the interest of several international companies, particularly America’s First Solar, who have set up shop in the country. That plan is chugging along steadily but there are still hiccups that need to be sorted out. One of the spanners in the works is the variable rates of electricity. Different regions in the country pay different tariffs and the slab system too needs to be revoked in favour of market based rates. However, this would mean that the subsidizing of agricultural rates by commercial users would change. Would farmers pay market based rates, or will the government have to first work on renewable energy for the agricultural sector to offset these costs?
The power sector is where most of the country’s investment will go, to change systems and work on its solar and wind promises. It has also promised 60GW of wind by 2022.
The fossil fuel dependence would also play a part. This would mean two things, massive investment into mass transport systems across the country and an improved integrated freight system at the railways. If more goods are transported by train, this would automatically reduce the dependence on diesel run trucks. Diesel may be a fuel of choice in Europe and America, where new age engines can reduce emissions, but the Volkswagen controversy just poked holes in that theory. In India, old engines in trucks contribute to the country’s dense carbon footprint. The decongestion of cities, by way of increased public transport system, is an obvious and necessary change.
India will have to work hard to reduce afforestation and also the destruction of green spaces for industries and more, leading to more non-polluting sectors getting a boost. The Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) are voluntary national targets to control emissions but the fact that India is classified as a developing nation is advantageous. This means that these targets are not legally binding, unlike that of developed nations. But, it is vital that is works to meet these targets. This gives India a chance to cover the country with power infrastructure as well as course correct right now before the targets do become legally binding.
