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.
Behavioural Shifts in the Transport Sector
Emissions from the Indian transport sector currently account for almost 10 per cent of the country’s total GHG emissions, mandating significant sectoral interventions for attaining the ‘net zero’ goal.
Strategies to reduce emissions from the transport sector include electric vehicle (EV) adoption, shift to public transport (PT), and non-motorised transport (NMT). These typically require substantial behavioural change.
Warming Up to Climate Action – Agriculture and Buildings
This series of articles is a joint editorial initiative of ETEnergyworld and CSTEP. It will discuss some of the key sectors in terms of their contribution to India's total greenhouse gas emissions. In the first part of this series, we discussed the transport sector from a climate point of view and argued that a transport decarbonisation strategy should include diverse options for all segments to complement electrification.
Warming Up to Climate Action – the Transport Sector
The year 2021-22 has been a milestone year in many ways for climate action in India. While a lot more could have been done (as is always the case), the wins cannot be ignored. The highlight was of course India’s ‘net zero by 2070’ announcement at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), along with other announcements on short-term targets for renewable energy and emissions reduction.
Think in Systems To Deliver India’s Long-term Climate Strategy
The 2015 Paris Agreement required countries to submit their long-term climate action strategies by 2020. At COP26, India made a surprise announcement of a target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, which means it will aim to balance the amount of carbon dioxide emitted with the amount absorbed.
Vision: Clean Skies for Punjab
The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) has been actively involved in finding solutions to air quality issues across India. The Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) at CSTEP is currently conducting a long-term study in Punjab to identify air pollution challenges and devise sectoral strategies for reducing air pollution in the state. CAPS is carrying out hybrid measurements and policy analysis for providing solutions to air pollution arising from stubble burning, industries, and transportation.
Global Warming at Doorstep, We Need Planning with Climate Lens
Karnataka experienced floods this year - the fourth consecutive year since 2018. In the past decade, Karnataka has also experienced drought conditions.
Satellite-Based Mapping of PM2.5 for Kanpur
Regulatory air pollution monitoring in India is mostly limited to urban areas. Without a dense network of monitors, it is difficult to capture the fine spatial variations of PM2.5, one of the major pollutants with severe implications for human health.
Using satellite-based products to estimate PM2.5 can help generate high-resolution gridded spatial maps at a significantly lower cost. These spatial maps can be useful for policymakers, urban planners and developers, and health researchers. They can also be instrumental in guiding clean air action plan for the city.
Satellite-Based Mapping of PM2.5 for Delhi-NCR
Regulatory air pollution monitoring in India is mostly limited to urban areas. Without a dense network of monitors, it is difficult to capture the fine spatial variations of PM2.5, one of the major pollutants with severe implications for human health.
Using satellite-based products to estimate PM2.5 can help generate high-resolution gridded spatial maps at a significantly lower cost. These spatial maps can be useful for policymakers, urban planners and developers, and health researchers. They can also be instrumental in guiding clean air action plan for the city.
Satellite-Based Mapping of PM2.5 for Bengaluru
Regulatory air pollution monitoring in India is mostly limited to urban areas. Without a dense network of monitors, it is difficult to capture the fine spatial variations of PM2.5, one of the major pollutants with severe implications for human health.
Using satellite-based products to estimate PM2.5 can help generate high-resolution gridded spatial maps at a significantly lower cost. These spatial maps can be useful for policymakers, urban planners and developers, and health researchers. They can also be instrumental in guiding clean air action plan for the city.