India submitted its Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LTS) to the UNFCCC in November 2022. This serves as India’s long-term climate strategy stating its commitment to adopting low-carbon development pathways towards net-zero emissions and strengthening adaptation measures in the context of changing climate. The document outlines strategic transitions to low-carbon electricity, transport and industrial systems; sustainable urbanization, climate resilient and efficient buildings; carbon dioxide removal; and enhancement of forest and tree cover. It also simultaneously outlines the substantive need for low-cost international climate finance to successfully achieve these transitions.
While India’s long-term climate strategy (LTS) underlines its commitment to a low-carbon future, it recognizes the national development priorities of poverty eradication, increasing employment, energy needs for development, and improving energy access and security while ensuring continued economic growth and sustainable development.
The challenge therein lies in translating India’s LTS into action at both the national and subnational levels. A successful implementation of India’s LTS would require filling in gaps around knowledge, capacity, technology and finance. This initiative aims to support research, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building towards strengthening climate planning and implementation considering India’s developmental priorities.
Objectives
- To produce new research, evidence, and understanding that informs planning and actions for low-carbon and climate-resilient development in India, considering sectoral and sub-national plans.
- To strengthen capacity related to long-term climate planning and action, in line with India’s developmental goals.
- To engage with relevant stakeholders at the national and subnational level to understand opportunities, challenges, and trade-offs around alternative pathways for India’s low-carbon and climate-resilient development, including considerations for a just transition.
Activities
The initiative includes research, tool development, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement activities. Research activities will include developing alternative scenarios of India’s low-carbon development up to 2070 using energy-economy modelling (using a simulation model called the India Energy Policy Simulator), roadmaps for sectoral climate action and undertaking deep dives or case studies. Subnational activities will be carried out in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. This will include research, capacity building and engagement to inform state climate action.
Events
Multistakeholder Dialogue - Pathways for India’s Low-Carbon and Climate Resilient Development
WRI India, in collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad and IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations), organized a multistakeholder dialogue on India’s Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LTS) on 12 February 2024 in New Delhi.
