Developing clarity on India’s net zero and climate trajectory is challenged by the uncertainties of India’s development transitions, including the demographic and urban changes in a rapidly changing policy context.
With the 2070 net zero future in mind, India will undoubtedly need to address questions such as the following: How will future energy needs be met? What are the implications of the panchamrit announcement for livelihoods, incomes and investments? How will social and economic aspirations be balanced? What are the key technologies and finance required? And how can we make this transition just and equitable for everyone’?
These are some of the key questions that need to be explored to understand how India can achieve sustainable development for all. And given that transforming economies is a process that takes years, modelling long-term pathways and scenarios become an important policy tool to find the right solutions.
Planning for energy and climate policies involve complex and varying challenges. Now, more than ever, policy makers and investors in India must make strategic, forward-looking energy decisions that consider new trends and uncertainties in technology, finance, markets and policies. This is where modelling long-term pathways can help understand the opportunities, challenges, synergies and trade-offs of decarbonisation within the context of India’s developmental priorities and climate commitments. Evidence-based analytics and energy and climate econometric models give useful insights into these issues and provide the right policy direction.
Shakti is working through a multi-year program to strengthen macro-economic and energy modelling capacities of select institutions in India. The idea behind this program is to foster robust long-term modelling data, scenarios, tools and results that can deliver enabling, realistic pathways to achieve India’s climate goals.
The program supports the efforts of the NITI Aayog’s India Climate and Energy Modelling Forum that strives to develop a vibrant energy-environment modelling community in India. Shakti is part of a high-level NITI Aayog steering committee through which it collaborates with identified institutions to co-develop the most pressing policy-relevant research questions with a range of stakeholders. Shakti also furthers dialogue, learning and policy engagement with researchers and modelling groups and partners from industry and civil society.