As a developing economy, India has numerous developmental aspirations. How India meets these goals without worsening the climate crisis is at the heart of CSTEP's work. Addressing climate change and enabling a secure and sustainable future for Indian citizens require an overhaul of previous paradigms on development and resource utilisation. This is reflected in our work on developing low-carbon trajectories for development with an emphasis on nature-based solutions.
We are working with state governments across India to build capacity on risk and vulnerability assessments to inform their respective action plans on climate change. The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is crucial to achieving a secure and sustainable future. CSTEP's studies explore the possibility of a greater integration of renewables in the energy sector.
(Re)envisioning inclusive futures: Applying narrative foresight to deconstruct the problem of urban flooding in the slums of Bengaluru, India
Recurring urban flooding in Bengaluru, India, has brought multiple intersecting development challenges to the forefront. While climate change is a catalyst for flooding, rapid urbanisation has aggravated the problem by neglecting its ecological history. Repeated floods have particularly affected migrants living in the slums, further worsening their already vulnerable conditions. Currently, only about 40% of slums are formally recognized by city authorities, leaving most slum dwellers with limited access to public benefits and basic infrastructure.
Policy strategies to decarbonise the buildings sector
The Sustainable Alternative Futures for India (SAFARI) model (Kumar et al., 2021) estimates that the buildings sector—directly and indirectly, through its interlinkages with industry and power sectors—accounts for around 30% of India’s annual energy demand and 26% of the nation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the increasing rate of urbanisation and the associated infrastructure development, this is expected to rise further.
Press Release: Growing the circular bioeconomy, with a focus on the Global South
Bengaluru, 16 April 2024: The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank, in collaboration with the International Council for Circular Economy (ICCE), published a White Paper titled ‘Growing the circular bioeconomy, with a focus on the Global South’ and presented the findings at the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2024, held at Brussels, Belgium.
A straw in the wind - Will achieving grid parity propel India’s offshore wind?
India is endowed with a 71 GW offshore wind potential, as per the assessment by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), but the country is yet to set up its first offshore wind plant. In a timely move, the Government of India has initiated bids for offshore wind development of a 4 GW capacity recently.
On India’s ‘heat action plans’
Come summer, we are used to seeing heat alerts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for various parts of India. This year, these alerts began in February itself. Parts of the northeast and western India have already reported appreciably warm temperatures (3.1-5 degrees Celsius above normal) before the start of summer.
A state of migration
Karnataka—the seventh most urbanised state in India—has witnessed significant urbanisation in recent decades. From 2001 to 2011, the proportion of the rural population shifted from 66% to 61%, and that of the urban population shifted from 34% to 39%.