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1 1 (December 5, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govenpu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic Infor ming the legislative debate since 1914 India: Climate Change Issues Updated December 5, 2023 Global climate change presents multiple challenges to India. The country is faced with meeting its energy and economic development needs, reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and addressing the potential impacts of climate change. India is among the world's top emitters of GHGs, including carbon dioxide (CO2), along with China, the United States, and the European Union; thus, India's participation in global efforts to mitigate climate change would be crucial to their success. India accounted for 17.5% of the world's population and 7% of global CO2 emissions in 2021, although its CO2 emissions per capita are comparatively low. Energy use in India has roughly doubled since 2000. The country's reliance on coal and other fossil fuels results in India emitting more GHGs per unit of energy generated than many other large countries. Impact of C'mate Change India also is increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. According to a 2021 Indian government overview of the country's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), Climate change is one of the most critical global challenges of our times. Recent events have emphatically demonstrated our growing vulnerability to climate change. Climate change impacts will range from affecting agriculture-further endangering food security- to sea-level rise and the accelerated erosion of coastal zones, increasing intensity of natural disasters, species extinction, and the spread of vector-borne diseases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report, provides both observations and projections of potential impacts of climate change on India. The report states that observed adverse impacts of climate change on Asia include increased heat, malnutrition, and harm from wildlife; worsening mental health; displacement of people; and flood- and storm-induced damages in coastal areas. Additionally, the report states the following as key risks for Asia: flooding and infrastructure damage; biodiversity loss across freshwater, land, and ocean ecosystems; increase in frequency and extensiveness of coral bleaching; reduced coastal fishery resources; and decreased food and water security. The report also projects that 26% more people will be exposed to sea level rise from 2020 to 2040 in Asia. Domestic Climate Policies India's 1.4 billion people and growing middle class continue to create increased energy demands and resulting GHG emissions. According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA's) India Energy Outlook 2021, to meet projected growth in electricity demand over the next 20 years, India would need to add a power system the size of the European Union's. Rapid industrialization and urbanization likely will continue to create large energy demands, perhaps most notably in the area of space cooling. By many accounts, transition away from coal to renewables is among the most important tasks facing Indian leaders as they address climate change and reform India's energy sector. Coal accounts for roughly half of India's total installed generation capacity. Both IEA and Indian government officials project that India will continue to rely on coal as a primary source of energy, even as coal's share of power generation may decline. In 2022, India's Minister of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs reportedly stated that no transition away from coal is happening in the foreseeable future in India, with coal expected to play a central role in India's energy mix beyond 2040. At the same time, India's renewable energy sector is growing rapidly, and the potential exists for further expansion of this sector, including with solar, wind, and hydropower sources. India's pledge to attain 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil fuel energy generation by 2030 will require more than doubling current capacity of 186 GW (including 7.5 GW from nuclear power). Over half of this targeted addition is Selected Climate Change Policy Initiatives in India In addition to efforts outlined in the NAPCC and India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the IEA has identified the following announced policy initiatives as key to reducing India's emissions: * Net Zero Emissions by 2070 (announced in 2021); * Renewable energy and transmission targets, including aims to raise power generation from non-fossil sources to 50% of all capacity (from 42% at present) and achieve 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030; * Production-Linked Incentives, such as subsidies toward creation of new manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and modern batteries; * a National Green Hydrogen Mission funded with $2.3 billion to support production, use, and exports targeted at five million tons annually; and * a Carbon Market authorized by India's Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022, which allows the government to provide for a carbon-trading scheme. Source: International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2023

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