Forest cover is the total geographical area declared as forest by the government. As of 2021, the total forest cover in India stood at 80.9 million hectares, approximately 21.71 percent of the total geographical area. According to the India State of the Forest Report (https://fsi.nic.in/forest-report-2021-details, ISFR, 2021), India’s forest cover is 7,13,789 square kilometers. It...
Author: Pooran Chandra Pandey (Pooran Chandra Pandey)
Recommendations to Strengthen India’s NDCs
The NDC Partnership is a network of over 120 countries, facilitated by UNFCCC, that is dedicated to helping each other strengthen their Paris Agreement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Pledges. The Partnership has just released Version 3.0 of the NDC Navigator, an interactive tool that supports the development of updated country NDCs to be submitted in...
India’s Installed Renewable Energy Capacity has Increased by 165 Percent Over the Past Decade
from 76.38 Gigawatts (GW) in 2014 to 203.1 GW in 2024 India’s total energy consumption per capita reached 0.8 toe, half of the Asian average, with electricity consumption per capita reaching 985 kWh in 2023. Total energy consumption has also continued to grow significantly (6.5 percent year on year since 2020, of which 5 percent...
Climate Change and Extreme Heat in India
India has been hit hard by one of its worst heat waves this year, especially in the northern, western, and national capital regions. It has experienced consistent temperatures of 50ºC and above. In June this year, an outlier temperature above 52ºC was reported in Delhi, with city authorities warning of risks of water shortages and...
Leading Country Climate NGOs: Foundation for Development Initiatives (FDI): Indian Non-Governmental Organization
Foundation for Development Initiatives (FDI) (https://www.developmentinitiatives.org/) is a national non-governmental organization in India focused on climate resilience interventions and activities. Over time, the organization has partnered with reputable organizations such as UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NatWest Group (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland), Swedish Institute, Sweden, Exide Industries, PI Industries, Times of India, DLF,...
Lessons Learned from India’s Emissions Trading Systems
India recently established a National Steering Committee (NSC) to put in place a mechanism that would establish an indigenous emissions trading system (ETS). An ETS, or a cap-and-trade system, is a policy instrument designed to price carbon, incentivizing companies to reduce emissions. Jurisdictions managing an ETS limit or cap the total amount of GHG (greenhouse...
2024 Parliamentary Elections in India Will Affect Climate Policy
The year 2024 is not an election year but an election year with more than 64 countries, including the European Union, slated to go to polls involving more than 50% of the world population to exercise their franchise to elect their popular governments and political leaders broadly rooted in the will of the people. The...
India Faces a Dilemma Between its Need for Development and Commitment to Reducing Carbon Emissions
India, with a population of 1.5 billion, is one of the largest carbon emitters. Its low and middle-income class is vulnerable to the climate crisis and needs development. The Indian federal and sub-regional governments have proactively mitigated the climate crisis through policies and mechanisms. Some of the government’s key mitigation policies include improving energy efficiency...
India’s Most Significant Climate Policies in 2023
Increasing Renewable Energy Capacity and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme on High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules Boosts Climate Mitigation Potential India is the third largest carbon emitter globally, albeit with a lower per capita contribution. The country is also one of the largest and fastest growing economies, scaling up its industrial activities, primarily driven by fossil...
India: Model Community Climate Mitigation Programs
Kochi Kawaki is a strategic urban greening program that follows a well-planned and implemented methodology, where feasible open spaces for tree-based interventions are identified with the support of the local community through tools like mapathons. For example, in the city of Kochi in Southern India, available spaces in clusters and along roads, waterways and property...