COP28 Resource Hub - WRI India Climate Program
The UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, is under way in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, until December 12, 2023. This event aims to bring together Member States, businesses, investors, and civil society entities with a common goal: to catalyze resolute climate action and foster widespread global implementation.
In preparation for this crucial gathering and to offer valuable perspectives on the critical matters under discussion, WRI India has consolidated comprehensive research, essential tools, and relevant events leading up to the negotiations into a COP28 Resource Hub.
This hub serves as an invaluable repository, enabling stakeholders to access insights and information vital for informed engagement and proactive involvement as critical deliberations, discussions and negotiations take shape at COP28.
KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS
Reports
A well-designed and well-integrated carbon market can reduce emissions reduction costs for the industry and help India meet its climate goals along with its economic aspirations. This report provides practical design and implementation recommendations for an effective carbon market in India, bringing together learnings from international carbon markets, India’s experience with market-based mechanisms over the two decades, and insights and industry feedback from a carbon market simulation.
This study is grounded in the concept of carbon budgets and determines India’s fair share of the global carbon budget using four budget allocation approaches. Four Indian research groups then use different energy-economy models to distribute these budgets across time and sectors to determine decadal milestones for India’s key energy sectors, viz. power, industry, and transport.
The State of Nationally Determined Contributions: 2022
This report takes stock of countries’ latest NDCs and examines how these commitments have evolved since the Paris Agreement entered into force, identifying overall trends and pinpointing the elements where further action is needed. It finds that countries are making incremental progress on strengthening their NDCs, but what we really need to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement is urgent transformational change.
This paper analyses and presents the emission reduction potential of the Indian companies who have set science-based targets and highlights it contributes to meeting India’s NDC goals. It does so by providing insights into the Science Based Targets of 22 Indian companies who have adopted GHG emission reduction targets that are aligned with climate science.
Conference Proceedings
Women Workers in Indian MSMEs: Challenges for a Just Transition
These proceedings summarize key takeaways from a webinar on “Gendered Pathways to Just Transition for MSMEs in India” hosted in December 2022 by WRI India.
The webinar brought together policymakers, academia, researchers, trade union and practitioners to understand the present challenges for gender inclusive and just low carbon transition for women in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.
This was organized as part of WRI India's ongoing work to building resilience of workers and MSMEs in a changing climate to ensure a just and equitable transition.
Enabling a Just Transition for MSMEs and Workers in the Indian Automotive Industry
The proceedings summarize insights from two discussions conducted during the launch of the Coimbatore MSME ICEV-EV Transition Initiative (MITI) in August 2022, at the Elektrotec Exhibition conducted by the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), in association with WRI India. It also highlights a series of stakeholder consultations conducted thereafter with experts from the government, industry, MSME associations, financial institutions, and other automotive and EV experts.
The initiative aimed to pilot a clean and just internal combustion engine vehicle–electric vehicle (ICEV-EV) transition among MSMEs in Coimbatore in collaboration with key local stakeholders.
Expert Notes
Macroeconomic Impacts of Long-Term Decarbonization in India: Implications for a Just Transition
This note presents potential macroeconomic impacts — on economic growth, employment, and tax revenues — in a long-term decarbonization scenario, aligned to India’s 2070 net-zero emissions target and analyses the implications of these impacts for a just transition in India.
This working paper explores two climate policy packages or scenarios for India corresponding to differing medium- and long-term decarbonization objectives using the India Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source, systems dynamics model. The analysis enables the identification of cost-effective policy options across different economic sectors and timeframes for low carbon development in India, as well as potential trade-offs and co-benefits between climate policies and development priorities.
MEDIA ARTICLES
How a climate-proofed MSME sector can drive Tamil Nadu’s EV leadership - The Hindu
Ashwini Hingne, Associate Program Director, WRI India writes in The Hindu about Tamil Nadu's potential to be a global EV manufacturing hub while ensuring a just and inclusive transition in its automotive MSMEs.
Amidst the backdrop of IPCC’s sixth assessment report and rising heatwaves and floods, Subrata Chakrabarty and Saransh Bajpai explore the role of subnational governments in climate action through finance utilization and state-level planning.
BLOGPOSTS
The Road to COP28: Key Developments from the Bonn Climate Change Conference
The Bonn Climate Change Conference 2023 was built on the mandates that emerged from COP27 in Egypt last year and is seen as a precursor to COP28.
Members of WRI India’s Climate program, Ashwini Hingne, Saransh Bajpai and Subrata Chakrabarty, who participated in the SB58 conference, share their perspectives on what transpired at Bonn and discuss the way forward as we draw closer to COP28.
Operationalizing Article 6: Issues for COP28 To Address
COP27 highlighted concerns over double counting in emission reductions, confidentiality loopholes in trading, and uncertainties about emission avoidance and removals under Article 6. COP28 aims to address these, focusing on developing review modalities and guidance, ensuring protection for vulnerable communities. Read more in this blog by Ashwini Hingne and Subrata Chakrabarty.
Contextualizing Just Transitions: Contours of a Just Low Carbon Pathway for India
The COP27 outcomes, including the establishment of a Loss & Damage fund and a Just Transition Work Programme, align with India's Long-Term Low Carbon Development Strategy. However, challenges persist in achieving a just, low carbon transition. Ashwini Hingne and Deepthi Swamy discuss the transition's impact on sectors, informal workers, and localized communities and highlight the need for proactive measures, financial support, and a redefined notion of 'just' outcomes to ensure an inclusive and fair low carbon economy.
Deconstructing COP27 for India
Experts from WRI India’s Climate program talk about COP27’s outcomes and their implications in India.
India's Solar Transition Can Uproot or Uplift Landless Workers | World Resources Institute (wri.org)
The Pavagada solar park, which is the largest solar park in India, exemplifies India's solar strides; however, its impact on landless workers underscores the urgency of just and inclusive approaches. This photo-essay emphasizes the imperative for equitable renewable energy shifts, urging global attention to protect vulnerable communities amid vital climate initiatives.
With increasing sustainability demands and economy-wide low carbon transitions, MSMEs will need to adopt climate-friendly practices or change business operations and products to stay competitive and protect livelihoods. This will require reskilling of workers and institutional support for MSMEs.
Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises (RISE) aims to help build the resilience and competitiveness of MSMEs in the automotive cluster in Tamil Nadu and the textile cluster in Gujarat, while enabling an inclusive and just transition to a low carbon future.
VIDEOS
The Road to COP28: Key Developments from the Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB58)
Runtime – 28:21
Representatives from over 100 Parties to the Paris Agreement gathered in Bonn, Germany from 5-15 June 2023 for the Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB58). This year’s conference was built on the mandates that emerged from COP27 in Egypt last year and is seen as a precursor to COP28. Steffi Olickal speaks with the experts from WRI India’s Climate program – Ashwini Hingne, Saransh Bajpai, and Subrata Chakrabarty – who participated in the SB58 conference. They share their perspectives on what transpired at Bonn and discuss the way forward as we draw closer to COP28.
Empowering Women in India’s Shift to Electric Vehicles
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The automotive sector in India has traditionally been male dominated. However, with the shift towards electric vehicles, there is an opportunity to make this industry more inclusive. EMF Innovations, a woman led MSME in Coimbatore that manufactures EV components, is leading the way by recruiting, skilling and training more women in the sector. This video showcases the inspiring women of EMF Innovations and their efforts towards creating an inclusive workforce. A low carbon transition can also be a just transition.
Textile MSME Leading the Way for a Just Transition
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Watch this video to see how an MSME in Indore has reskilled the workforce and employed them in other processes within the company, after switching to a waterless and energy-efficient dyeing technology, thus ensuring a just and people-centered transition.
Resilience, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises (RISE)
Runtime – 2:20
MSMEs are the backbone of India’s economy. However, climate change impacts are already affecting their profitability and productivity in India. Further, changes in technology and market demands are further adding to the vulnerability of MSMEs and their workforce. To stay competitive and protect livelihoods, MSMEs will thus require reskilling of workers and institutional support.
Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises (RISE) aims to help build the resilience and competitiveness of MSMEs in the automotive cluster in Tamil Nadu and the textile cluster in Gujarat, while enabling an inclusive and just transition to a low carbon future. By 2026, under RISE, WRI India will engage with MSMEs and local communities, industry associations and experts, skilling, and financing agencies and local and national governments to support at least 1,000 workers in 100 MSMEs to help them manage climate impacts, implement climate actions, and acquire skills for better livelihoods.
Sub-national Climate Action to Support India’s Climate Goals
Runtime – 1:47:47
This Connect Karo session focuses on highlighting the leadership of the Government of India for enabling climate action at the sub-national levels in the country. Engaging with a diverse set of stakeholders including officials, experts, and field practitioners, the session deliberated upon catalytic provisions on financing, governance, and learnings along with opportunities and challenges which can further strengthen India’s climate ambition.
Setting up for Success: Building India’s Carbon Market Leadership
Runtime – 1:24:15
As India sets up its own carbon market, and as international carbon markets evolve, what are the possible opportunities and challenges for India? How can the design of Indian carbon market be strengthened to overcome such barriers? How can India leverage carbon markets to meet its own climate commitments cost effectively? And how can it do so while strengthening its industry, become a leader in promoting nascent yet promising low carbon technologies and meeting the development needs of its people? This Connect Karo session explores some of these questions with a high-level panel. The session also marks the official release of WRI’s report ‘Leveraging Carbon Markets for Cost-Efficient Emissions Reductions in India: Practical Recommendations for the Design and Implementation of an Effective Carbon Market’, that is a product of 5 years of research, engagement with key stakeholders and a first-of-its-kind simulation of a carbon market in India.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Digital magazine: Climate and Careers - Crest (workingnation.com)
Webinar on Building an Ecosystem for Gender-Responsive and Climate-Resilient MSMEs in India: https://youtu.be/WzUDGDiuv-E?si=MWQR_0EuHpgzimlU
Webinar on Gendered Pathways to Just Transition for MSMEs in India:Technological and Financial Pathways for Energy Transition in Developing Economies: https://youtu.be/ZZlWyAIW9vc?si=9KY9PSpaq23e9Ine
Technological and Financial Pathways for Energy Transition in Developing Economies: https://youtu.be/DGMAFjvDiyM?si=YOb8UiLU379Z-K0R
Towards a New Carbon Market Regime: Perspectives from India and the World: https://youtu.be/30FMIKEmYn8?si=dqEzOdG39EtbYuqd.
