Sustainable and Secure Future

Until a few years ago, working on biofuels called for constant justification in the face of electric vehicles (EVs) taking over the world. Today, while there is no doubt that EV adoption has amplified over the years, there is growing awareness of the fact that no decarbonisation strategy is trade-off-free. For instance, for a transition to EVs, existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and the supporting infrastructure need to be replaced entirely, which is capital intensive.

Any development programme can foster climate adaptation and mitigation benefits; it must also, however, feature self-reflection and system assessments. The renowned ecologist C.S. Holling, who brought resilient thinking to the forefront of socio-ecological studies, asserted that systems must evolve while they build resilience. If the baseline system itself is fundamentally unjust and unsustainable, then evolving to a new system is preferable to belatedly attempting to add resilience.

The world is witnessing the increasing impacts of climate change at an alarming rate. Wildfires, floods, cyclones, and heatwaves have become uncomfortably common today. Current research in climate sciences tells us that even if we were to completely stop producing greenhouse gases today, we would still face the detrimental impacts of climate change due to historical emissions. Additionally, the impacts of climate change are not felt in isolation.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report has, for the first time in the three-decade history of its reports, dedicated an entire chapter to innovation and technological development. The immense potential of new technologies for climate adaptation and mitigation is being recognised by policymakers and investors alike.

India is among the top five leading countries in solar power installed capacity. Of India’s ambitious target of 500-GW RE capacity by 2030, over 292 GW is likely to be generated using solar power. This increase in installed capacity, while promising, also opens doors to massive waste streams and increased emissions. According to the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy’s (CSTEP’s) analysis, India is projected to generate approximately 4.5 million tonnes of solar photovoltaic (PV) waste by 2050.

In 2021-2022, India surpassed Brazil to become the largest sugar producer in the world, producing 359 lakh tonnes – an all-time high. But this isn’t sweet news: with the resources that go into making all that sugar dwindling at an alarming rate, India’s sugar market might slip into its biggest crisis ever in the coming decades.

We bring you CSTEP’s Annual Report for 2022–2023.

As we look at the past year, we reflect on collaborations that helped us forge impactful strategies to solve some of the grand challenges that the country faces today. Our world-class research founded on solid partnerships will help the country navigate through critical problems, such as climate risk and green energy transition, to shape a better tomorrow. This Annual Report is a throwback to our endeavours and a testament to our efforts in building a sustainable and resilient future.

Climate-resilient infrastructure refers to the built environment designed and constructed to withstand the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, increased precipitation, sea-level rise, and more frequent extreme weather events.