India has witnessed remarkable growth in the solar sector over the last decade. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the overall installed capacity has increased from 2.82 GW in March 2014 to 87.2 GW in July 2024.This can be attributed to aggressive government targets, supportive policy frameworks, decreasing technology costs, and increasing awareness about climate change. While the sector is attracting significant investments from foreign and domestic sources, it also has inherent risks.

The Indian Railways is one of the largest railway networks in the world, transporting millions of passengers and tonnes of freight daily. It has had a historically high demand for fossil fuels to meet the operational energy requirements, resulting in high operational costs and a high emission footprint. The government aims to tackle these challenges through 100% electrification of the railway network by 2024 and by becoming a net-zero emitter by 2030.

On 21 March, the Supreme Court, in a judgement regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) on protecting and conserving the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), noted that people have a fundamental right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. The court also set up an expert committee to assess the technical feasibility of undergrounding power lines, as well as to figure out ways to conserve GIBs. The next hearing in the matter is due this month.

Not a day or week passes without an extreme event such as a heat wave, high-intensity rainfall leading to floods and landslides, lack of rain or unseasonal rains destroying fruits and vegetable crops, or hurricanes striking coastal areas. Every month in 2023 set a new record for being the hottest on record, and every month of 2024 has already surpassed those records, with the hottest day in history recently recorded. Karnataka has experienced extreme droughts and flood-causing rainfall events in recent months and years.