Sustainable and Secure Future

The studies, “Emission Inventory and Pollution Reduction Strategies for Bengaluru” and “Identification of Polluting Sources for Bengaluru: Source Apportionment Study”, point to transportation and road dust as the biggest contributors to air pollution in Bengaluru city. These studies were conducted under the aegis of KSPCB and supported by The Bloomberg Philanthropies and Shakti Foundation, to generate scientific data and contribute to India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

A study by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bangalore-based think tank—on the climate of eastern India underscores the need for climate risk mapping and climate action. The study ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the Eastern States of India’ projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal—the eastern states of India—over the next three decades compared to the historical period (1990–2019).

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) used satellite-based products to study the spatial patterns, hotspot areas, and rural–urban contrasts in PM2.5 in the Delhi-NCR, Kanpur, and Bengaluru regions for the calendar year 2019. Titled ‘Satellite-Based Mapping and the Quantification of PM2.5 in India,’ the official report was launched during a virtual event held on 28 February 2022. Three policy briefs based on the satellite-based mapping of Delhi-NCR, Kanpur, and Bengaluru were also released along with the report.

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bengaluru-based think tank—published a study on the climate of north-eastern India titled ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the North-Eastern States of India’. The study projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura over the next three decades (2021–2050) compared to the historical period (1990–2019).

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bengaluru-based think tank—published a study on the climate of northern India titled ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the Northern States of India’. The study projects changes in temperature and rainfall patterns in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh over the next three decades compared to the historical period (1990–2019). It analyses two representative scenarios: moderate emissions (RCP 4.5) and high emissions (RCP 8.5).

As we inch closer to another global climate summit, COP27, climate projection models will once again be thrust into the limelight as they play an important role in devising net-zero strategies. However, assumptions and estimates for India’s ‘net zero by 2070’ target need to be reviewed carefully given the deep uncertainties involved. There is no correct pathway to net-zero emissions.

The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)—a Bengaluru-based think tank—has published the Climate Atlas of India: District-Level Analysis of Historical and Projected Climate Change Scenarios. The report summarises the findings from CSTEP’s historical climate analysis and future climate projections at a district level for the 28 states of India (excluding union territories), published as regional reports in 2022.

Contemporary migration is complex and diverse. Since the 1980s, human mobility has been increasingly linked to climate change, particularly because of the impacts of sea-level rise and coastal erosion and the changes in frequency, occurrence, and intensity of natural disasters. While migration as a response to climate-induced phenomena can take many shapes and forms, research has shown that it is extremely difficult to isolate a clear link between the two.

There has in the last few years been a concerted push from policymakers and thought leaders in India to transition to a circular economy to, among other things, enable effective waste management. However, waste management in the solar photovoltaic sector still lacks clear directives.

With India’s ambitious 2030 clean energy targets and the 2070 net-zero goal, more was expected from the Union Budget 2023-24 to increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and solar photovoltaics (PVs). Currently, the EV market is struggling because of low penetration rates, and solar PVs have high production costs. Integrating EVs and solar PV systems could be a viable option for electric mobility in India, but without concessional financing available, the cost of solar projects would be too high, resulting in increased EV charging costs for consumers.