India’s Ambitious National Action Plan on Climate Change

With the advent of the U.N. Climate Change Framework Convention in Copenhagen, a lot of attention has turned to the countries that use the most energy and cause the most pollution. During the run-up to Copenhagen, President Obama met with Chinese and Indian government officials to hammer out mutual pledges and programs designed to improve energy use and emissions.

Experts note, however, that India has had its first National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in place for over a year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released the plan in June 2008; it outlines existing and future policies and programs for climate mitigation. The plan revolves around eight “national missions” and requires ministries to work with the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change to implement the plans.

In releasing the plan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasized the global dimension of the challenge of climate change. India, he said, was ready to play its role as a responsible member of the international community and to make its own contribution. He added that India believed that every citizen of this planet should have an equal share of the planetary atmospheric space and therefore, long-term convergence of per capita greenhouse (GHG) emissions was the only equitable basis for a global agreement to tackle climate change. In this context, the Prime Minister reaffirmed India's pledge that as it pursued sustainable development, its per capita GHG emissions would not exceed the per capita GHG emissions of developed countries, despite our developmental imperatives.

As noted by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, the primary stipulations of the plan are described below.

National Missions

National Solar Mission: Solar power is the cornerstone of the plan and officials say it has the potential to transform the country. The NAPCC’s goals for solar power are particularly ambitious and recently Indian officials released a detailed plan outlining how the country intends to create over 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022. The plan includes:

• A goal of installing over 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2022.

• A goal of increasing production of photovoltaics to 1000 MW/year.

• A goal of deploying at least 1000 MW of solar thermal power generation.

• Other objectives include the establishment of a solar research center, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening of domestic manufacturing capacity, and increased government funding and international support.

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Current initiatives are expected to yield savings of 10,000 MW by 2012. Building on the Energy Conservation Act 2001, the plan recommends:

• Mandating specific energy consumption decreases in large energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings certificates;

• Energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy-efficient appliances;

• Financing for public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programs in the municipal, buildings and agricultural sectors.

National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote energy efficiency as a core component of urban planning, the plan calls for:

• Extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code;

• A greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste;

• Strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles;

• Incentives for the use of public transportation.

National Water Mission: With water scarcity projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20% improvement in water use efficiency through pricing and other measures.

National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: The plan aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming.

National Mission for a “Green India”: Goals include the re-forestation of 6 million hectares of degraded forest lands and expanding forest cover from 23% to 33% of India’s territory.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The plan aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance mechanisms, and agricultural practices.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: To gain a better understanding of climate science, impacts and challenges, the plan envisions a new Climate Science Research Fund, improved climate modeling, and increased international collaboration. It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds.

Other Programs

The National Action Plan on Climate Change also describes other ongoing initiatives, including:

• Power Generation: The government is mandating the retirement of inefficient coal-fired power plants and supporting the research and development of IGCC and supercritical technologies.

• Renewable Energy: Under the Electricity Act 2003 and the National Tariff Policy 2006, the central and the state electricity regulatory commissions must purchase a certain percentage of grid-based power from renewable sources.

• Energy Efficiency: Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, large energy-consuming industries are required to undertake energy audits and an energy labeling program for appliances has been introduced.