Energy
TERI's work related to modelling has contributed to energy policy-related inputs for over four decades. TERI, along with a group of partners, has provided scenario-based modelling inputs to chart out expected emission intensities and examine the share of non-fossil-based generation capacity over different energy development pathways.
Further, the various missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC), especially the National Solar Mission, were delineated to a large extent based on inputs from TERI's work in modelling and analytics.
Not only has the energy analysis and modelling provided inputs to India's five-year plans, TERI was also an integral part of the Integrated Energy Plan Report and provided the modelling in the Low Carbon Inclusive Growth (LCIG) study of the erstwhile Planning Commission.
Agriculture
In agriculture, TERI focusses on policy and institutional solutions that can enhance the sustainability of India's agriculture sector, which remains the mainstay of rural livelihoods in the country.
TERI's work has examined policy issues related to climate impacts and resilience, sustainability in the use of natural resources in farming, management of agricultural waste, programmatic and institutional support for organic agriculture, standards for resilient planting material, and regulation of nano-products in agriculture. TERI has also worked with states, such as Punjab and Haryana, where the sustainability of agriculture is manifesting as a critical economic and social issue.
As part of its policy research and outreach activities, TERI has also engaged with various state departments and local agencies in agriculture, soil and water conservation, irrigation, science, technology, and environment.
Environment
TERI's environmental research aims to inform policy on critical sustainability issues. The inter-disciplinary research on air, water, waste, forests, biodiversity, land, and mineral resources, has supported decision making by policymakers on current and emerging environmental challenges from local to global levels.
TERI's work on green federalism was used by the 13th Finance Commission of India to introduce sustainability criteria in fiscal transfers from the centre to the states. TERI has also worked closely with the Union environment ministry, including on India's Environment Policy, 2006, and provided the necessary inputs for India's negotiating position at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and World Trade Organization (WTO). TERI has assisted ministries and agencies in efficiency standards for the use of natural resources, access and benefit sharing in biodiversity, and roadmaps for managing specific waste streams.
TERI has also worked with several states to prepare their biodiversity strategy and action plans and engaged local governments to develop urban services rating systems and fiscal instruments for waste management. It has also been striving towards the policy mainstreaming of community-led environmental management and conservation efforts.
Resource Efficiency
TERI's policy work in resource efficiency covers areas, such as circular economy, conservation and sharing, responsible development, and trade and geo-political challenges surrounding natural resources.
TERI provides policy-relevant knowledge and information validated through state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative analysis, to address natural resource security challenges. Over the years, TERI has undertaken numerous policy research and consultancy assignments for the government, international organizations, and the industry on the benefits assessment of resource efficiency in key economic sectors; sustainability and security implications of trade in natural resources; and the governance of natural resource revenues, among others.
TERI's research has been considered in the formulation of policies such as the amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in 2016, and has provided negotiating inputs to the government at the WTO on trade issues related to the environment and natural resources. The institute's work has also led to the creation of the Indian Resource Panel that is working with the Union environment ministry. It has also provided inputs for policies on end-of-life vehicle scrapping and metal recycling prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board, which is currently under consideration by the Government of India.
Health and Nutrition
TERI is dedicated to analysing and addressing the various environmental factors that influence and impact health in India.
TERI's work in this area includes assessment of concerns, such as exposure to air and water pollution at various occupational sites, the health effects of household air quality, the effect of ambient air quality on mortality, and the development of indices for tracking and addressing health and well-being. Such studies have drawn the interest of central, state, and local governments, apart from triggering remedial action by environmental agencies and tribunals.
TERI has also contributed directly to the health policy through Government of India's policy framework for National Action Plan for Climate Change and Health (2015/16) and more recently the National Steering Committee of Technology Needs Assessment- Climate Change Project on Health. TERI's research efforts support the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC) that encompasses critical environmental challenges such as the effect of outdoor air pollution on hospital admissions in cities such as Delhi.