Key Pillars in the Transition to LCS Pathways
Date : May 10, 2021
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that a rapid transition is required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius i.e., staying within the cumulative carbon budget of 770 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. The IPCC report infers that the entire world must reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions globally around 2050, and achieve a significant reduction in the emi...
As India Approaches Net Zero, Some Critical Q&As
Date : April 7, 2021
In recent weeks, there have been media reports on the possibility of India announcing net zero emission targets. This has led to an intense debate. Some scholars have advocated that it is in India’s interest to announce net zero emissions targets by 2050. Others have urged restraint highlighting the magnitude of challenge involved and argue that we first decide on peaking. Some have questioned t...
Global CO2 Emissions: Zeroing in on Net Zero
Date : March 19, 2021
The global debate on combating climate change is in a decisive phase. The recent extreme weather events in Uttarakhand and Texas only highlight the challenge ahead. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that global CO2 emissions should reach net zero by 2050 to have a reasonable probability of limiting global warming to 1.50 C. This is a narrow time window. Considering that t...
Perspectives on Wind Energy in India
Date : March 9, 2021
.scale-with-grid.wp-post-image{display:none;} Global Wind Day is observed every year on June 15. According to globalwindday.org, it is a “day to discover the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth.” With a total wind installed capacity of over 39 GW in March 2021, India is the world’s fourth largest country in terms of tot...
Climate Communication in the Time of COVID-19
Date : May 8, 2020
Communicating about climate change has never been easy. The subject is complex, marred by uncertainties and tends to evoke emotionally and politically charged responses. How then do we talk about climate change as the global community grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic today? How do we do this in a post-pandemic world? In the last few years, climate change moved to the centre stage of gl...
Time for Big Bold Steps to Address Climate Change
Date : May 6, 2020
As one sits down to write this piece, the number of COVID-19 cases in India is over 50,000, global infections have zoomed past 3.5 million, there is no vaccine in sight and scattered reports of new strains of the virus are emerging. There is no denying that the pandemic poses, perhaps, the biggest economic challenge to independent India, with an estimated economic loss of Rs 32,000 crore per da...
COVID-19: To Pause and Look Back To See The Future
Date : May 6, 2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has deracinated life across the globe to expose the structural weaknesses of our system, such as income inequalities, weak healthcare systems, inadequate education, and the lack of global co-ordination. Throughout history, we have faced many deadly pandemics. Yet, after centuries of development, we stand at the crossroads witnessing human fatalities along with impacts on the ...
COVID-19 and the Renewable Energy Sector
Date : May 6, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected all sectors of the global economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its global GDP growth estimate from 3.3% from just three months ago to a contraction of 3%, something not witnessed since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The energy sector has not been immune to COVID-19. The outbreak has contributed to a dampened demand for oi...
Climate Change is Happening Now
Date : March 17, 2020
We are living through the Anthropocene, a geological age defined by the influence of humans on our environment. The impact of human action on the planet is starting to be felt unevenly across the world as we grapple with the fact that we may have irrevocably changed the world in which we live. The science on climate change is clear – a key conclusion of the International Panel on Climate Change ...
The Overlooked Emission in Indian Industry
Date : January 8, 2020
India has endorsed the long-term UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) target of limiting the increase in the global average surface temperature to 2°C and keeping it as close to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, mitigating Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and restricting the process of climate changes turns out to be a greater challenge than initially envisaged ...