When the world is at the brink of collapse amidst the impacts of climate change: rising seas, disturbed oceans, sliding hills and above all, recurring pandemics, it has become a necessity to change oneself with changing times.
It will not be wrong to expect changes within the attitudes of Earth’s dwellers, change in ways we daunt our planet, change in ways we exert our demeaning influence over its beings. Change in ways we make the laws to govern Earth.
There is a constant need to evolve our legislations and guidelines in ways that affect Nature.
India and a new effort to limit the Climate change:
India has made a policy change to include a minimum share of cleaner forms of renewable energy in industrial sector, as one of the ways to achieve lesser emission mandate.
Fuels used in trade and industry are mostly the dirtiest ones like wood, diesel, coal, petrol, CNG, LPG, biomass etc.
The amended rules (made to India’s 2001 Energy Conservation Act) seek to promote green Hydrogen in place of the fossil derived fuels in use by industries currently.
According to the Ministry mandate: “Amidst the growing energy needs and changing global climate landscape, the Government of India has identified new areas to achieve higher levels of penetration of renewable energy by proposing certain amendments to the Energy Conservation Act, 2001”.
This will provide an impetus to the use of green energy forms across India and consequent growth of Carbon markets for an efficient trade in carbon credits.
“The proposal includes defining minimum share of renewable energy in the overall consumption by the industrial units or any establishment. There will be provision to incentivize efforts on using clean energy sources by means of carbon saving certificate.”
As per the Power Ministry, there is an option to consume such renewable energy either through direct sources like rooftop panels or from the indirect way like on the grid mechanisms etc.
Recently, with an upcoming COP at Glasgow, to be hosted by the UK, India is under immense pressure to lower its emissions. It is to note that through the country’s cumulative emissions may top the lists, its per capita emissions fall even lower than the world average.
On several other relevant grounds like the growth perspective, India has decided to not declare the deadline for becoming Net zero and has rather focused on reducing emissions even more than lately announced.
It has called out the world to lay out ambitious pathways to reduce greenhouse emissions and possibly avert a threatening rise in global temperatures arising out of such reckless emissions.
Private practices intrinsic to the Climate Action:
The Ministry explained how Private involvement in the clean energy section will help build a progressive Climate action: “The provisions would facilitate promotion of green hydrogen as an alternate to the existing fossil fuels used by the industries.”
“The additional incentives in the form of carbon credits against deployment of clean technologies will result in private sector involvement in climate actions.”
The new rules also moot the idea of making “sustainable habitats” which is a probable way to adopt more cleaner energy methods like making green homes etc. in the country.
When the world was ready to promise ‘change’ under the Paris Climate Pact, India too provided an extraordinary and fair national plan to drive Climate action called INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions).
India pledged in 2015 to increase the share of non-fossil fuels-driven electricity to 40 per cent by 2030 and enhance its forest cover creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2, the main gas responsible for global warming) by 2030.
The aim was also set to limit the country’s emission intensity of its GDP, approximately by 33-35 per cent from the 2005 levels till 2030.
“With the amendment to EC Act, 2001, the focus is to empower institutions to contribute for our Paris commitments and fully implement our NDCs in a timely manner.”
“Furthermore, by adopting energy efficiency measures, India holds a potential to reduce about 550 MtCO2 by 2030.”
India’s need for energy in future is bound to increase from 6% today to 11% of global energy share by 2040. This demand is inevitable and will more likely increase the changing business landscape.
With such inbound changes, it is everyone’s concern and benefit that the nation moves further to become energy-efficient without exerting any further pressure on its fragile environment.