Policy Brief
Benchmarking Industrial Water Use Efficiency in India: Opportunities for Water-Intensive Industries
08 Feb 2024
The rapid expansion of population and industrial activities in India has led to acknowledging the critical importance of water conservation. Addressing the escalating water usage within water-intensive industries is essential, given their significant contribution to the economy alongside their substantial impact on water resources. Amongst the water-intensive industries, thermal power plants are the highest consumer of water, followed by pulp & paper, textiles, and iron & steel industries. Existing challenges or inefficiencies in water management practices, such as over-extraction, pollution, or lack of wastewater treatment, further exacerbate the situation.
Accelerating the Growth of Green Bonds in India
08 Feb 2024
| Dr Manish Kumar Shrivastava
| Uday Veer Singh
India's enormous financial requirements to address climate change and ensure just transitioning for its economy cannot be met by the lone public sector and would require catalyzing private finance and institutional investment into climate initiatives. Green bonds offer an emerging financial instrument that holds the potential to attract private investors into climate action. However, unlike the exponential growth of green bonds in the global market, they still occupy only a scanty share of the Indian bonds market.
India’s Electricity Transition Pathways to 2050: Scenarios and Insights
08 Feb 2024
Energy transition is at the core of restricting global climate change and achieving sustainable development. The difference between a gradual and rapid transition will eventually determine the climate future of India. During the last decade, there has been a steep decline in the costs of renewables (solar and wind) and energy storage technologies (BESS), which helped India in reaching a significant milestone of 125 GW renewable capacity in 2021.
Concentrating Solar Power Plants with Storage: Deployment Essential Now
08 Feb 2024
India’s continued commitment to achieving the clean energy transition is well recognized worldwide. At COP26, India announced the highly ambitious goal of decarbonizing energy to 50% and achieving 500 GW of fossil fuel-free generating capacity by 2030.
Advancing Environmental and Climate Goals Through a Multidimensional Model of Green Budgeting
04 Dec 2023
| Dr Shailly Kedia
| Palak Khanna
| Madhuparna Maiti
While environmental regulation is the principal responsibility of environmental ministries, their locus standi in terms of implementation is limited as much of the implementation lies with other line ministries/departments and public agencies. Hence, it is essential that ‘environment’ is mainstreamed across ministries, departments, and sectors.
Internationalizing Lifestyles For Sustainable Development
02 Dec 2023
| Dr Shailly Kedia
| Shivangi Raj
| Madhuparna Maiti
| Palak Khanna
Mainstream frameworks on sustainable consumption and production fail to holistically capture downstream segments of resource consumption and production systems, especially regarding lifestyle choices, including its links to upstream and midstream components.
Discussion paper on Operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund: Challenges and Opportunities
29 Nov 2023
| Mr R R Rashmi
| Ms Suruchi Bhadwal
| Dr Manish Kumar Shrivastava
| Amlan Mishra
At the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the participating states agreed on the broad modalities for the establishment of a historic Loss and Damage Fund. Furthermore, COP27 set up a transnational committee to “make recommendations for consideration and adoption by COP28” for the loss and damage fund, making the particulars and modalities of the fund a key topic for COP28 in December 2023.
Enhancing India’s Biofuels Program: Examining the Role of Oxyfuels in India’s Clean Fuel Transition
28 Nov 2023
| Dr Piyali Das
| Mr I V Rao
| Dr Sanjukta Subudhi
The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) in association with the Asian Clean Fuels Association (ACFA) Singapore, a global consortium of leading petrochemical companies and FTI Consulting, a leading global business consulting firm, had jointly undertaken an extensive study and feasibility analysis of oxyfuels (including ethers and alcohols) for co-blending in gasoline in India. This collective effort has culminated in the creation of a pivotal report ‘Enhancing India’s Biofuels Program: Examining the Role of Oxyfuels in India’s Clean Fuel Transition’ which was launched on November 28, 2023, at TERI Headquarters, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
Just Energy Transition Partnerships, Climate Action, and Minilateralism
24 Nov 2023
| Dr Shailly Kedia
| Heena Makhija
| Shivangi Raj
Transitioning towards clean energy and renewable sources is a significant measure to restrict Greenhouse Gas emissions and meet the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement. Upcoming minilateral mechanisms, especially partnerships such as JETPs, despite setting ambitious targets have little to offer on recognizing the specific needs of the Global South to support sustainable energy transitions.
Road to Dubai and the Global Goal on Adaptation
24 Nov 2023
| Dr Shailly Kedia
| Ishita Srivastava
IPCC's definition of adaptation emphasizes on human and natural systems rather than countries. A paradigm shift is needed in the climate regime regarding adaptation including not viewing vulnerability as only a country – centric approach. Instead, identifying vulnerability hotspots supplemented by formulating people-centric and nature-centric approaches in climate negotiations is need of the hour.