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.
Climate: A Missed Opportunity
The Union Budget 2021–22 is a clear plan to bring the economy back on track. But the current pandemic should have paved the way for a new approach to economic development — one that prioritised environment, ecosystems, and green infrastructure.
Will We Finally Breathe Fresh Air?
Air pollution is one of the biggest threats staring India squarely in the face. A slew of measures to effectively tackle this menace were expected from Budget 2021–22. The budget, however, turned out to be a mixed bag, with more misses than hits as far as India’s fight against air pollution is concerned.
On the Road to Sustainable Commute
The phenomenal rise in personal vehicle use, especially in urban areas, during the pandemic is bound to have serious environmental implications. States and UTs should, therefore, consider implementing the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, especially the sections that deal with the aggregation of non-transport vehicles (personal vehicles) and ride pooling.
Particulate Measurements Key to Solving India’s Air Pollution Puzzle
The "scary" air pollution situation in India makes it imperative to gather extensive, credible data on pollution and its sources at a fairly granular level—for every square kilometre of most mid- to large-sized cities, as well as for vast exurban and rural areas. But don't we already have enough information on the pollution levels in cities and also the main culprits? Shouldn't pollution control plans, therefore, be self-evident? The answer to both these questions is a resounding no.
State Action Plan 2.0: Time to Get Vocal for Local
Nineteen extreme weather events in 2019 claimed 1,357 lives, with heavy rain and floods accounting for 63% of deaths in India. Between 2013 and 2019, there has been a 69% increase in the number of heatwave days. Many Indian states are increasingly experiencing extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, heat waves, and super cyclones. These are projected to increase even further in the future. These changes in India's climate will be an additional stress to ecosystems, agricultural outputs, and freshwater resources, and could also damage the infrastructure.
Building climate-resilient power infrastructure
The rise in temperature, high rainfall variability, and increased frequency of extreme events in recent decades are all evidence of climate change. In India, these trends are projected to worsen—temperature likely to increase by 4°C, frequent heat waves to persist over longer durations, heavy rainfall events to get more frequent, dry spells to extend, and the sea level to increase by about 3 metres by the end of the century.