Evaluating expert opinion on India's climate policy: opportunities and barriers to low-carbon inclusive growth

Abstract

In 2009, India set a voluntary target of reducing the emission intensity of GDP by 20–25% below 2005 levels by 2020, a commitment to be met while ensuring that poverty alleviation and economic growth are not compromised. This paper presents findings from an analysis of expert opinions on India's domestic climate policy, the opportunities and bottlenecks in transitioning to a low-carbon inclusive growth paradigm, with special emphasis on two key energy intensive sectors, transport and power. The findings reveal a consensus among experts that, while India has successfully initiated several programmes for ensuring development of its economy along low-carbon pathways, achieving a desirable level of emission reduction constitutes a challenge. Ensuring that a broader development agenda remains viable while constructively addressing emissions calls for changes in a number of complementary policy factors. Inadequacy of the current institutional structure, inadequate financial resources, inefficient subsidy systems, limited opportunities for global partnership and over-reliance on regulatory approaches for reducing carbon emissions limit the success of announced climate policy measures. India can overcome its huge backlog of infrastructure requirements by adopting a low-carbon growth path in transport and power sectors in particular. Declarations of energy and climate priorities, when accompanied by adequate technology transfer and diffusion, and investments in institutional capacity and complementary policy factors, are key elements of success for a low-carbon inclusive growth agenda in the near future.