CLEAN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW
Climate change and energy security are key global challenges. With India’s energy consumption growing at over seven percent annually, the country faces formidable challenges in meeting its energy demands. India is a major producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; the power sector is the largest single contributor. Indian power stations, characterized by aged equipment, inefficient technologies, poor maintenance practices, and low quality coal, are some of the highest GHG emitters in the world.
India’s projected economic growth depends on extensive infrastructure development on both sides of the energy equation: on the supply side through renewable energy and fossil fuel production and on the demand side through manufacturing, commercial buildings, IT data centers, and transportation. The national growth of renewable energy resources has been modest and much of the planned expansion of energy supplies depends on the use of fossil fuels, with related negative implications for emissions of both local air pollutants and GHG.
Availability and access to energy are considered catalysts for economic growth. A key challenge facing India is how to improve the reliability and adequacy of energy supplies while making modern energy services accessible and affordable to the entire population. Policies and programs facilitating innovation and large-scale adoption and deployment of low-carbon technologies will need to play a central role in global efforts to address climate change, in addition to policies targeted directly at reducing GHG emissions.
Additionally, the quality and availability of water is an increasingly critical concern throughout India. Access to basic water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services continues to present huge challenges. There are large gaps in water supply and service delivery due to multiple policy, legal, institutional, technological, and behavioral challenges.
USAID'S RESPONSE
USAID programs emphasize low-carbon development strategies, climate-proofing development, and national planning and capacity building. Climate change activities focus on three areas:
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1. Clean Energy: The program is designed to reduce, mitigate and/or sequester emissions of GHG in the energy, industry, urban, and transport sectors. A key instrument to carry forward U.S.-India collaboration is the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy (PACE) program, which will support and strengthen energy-technology innovation India. The USAID-led Deployment Component (PACE-D) will build on USAID’s four decades of energy experience, specifically in the development and promotion of more efficient and cleaner coal technologies, energy efficiency, and renewable energy development. PACE-D will accelerate the transition to a high performing, low emissions and energy-secure economy by working on four major components/activities: 1) the scaling-up and deployment of energy efficiency, including smart transmission grids; 2) advancing commercial, market-driven renewable energy technologies; 3) accelerating capacity for the development of low carbon, cleaner fossil fuel technologies; and 4) enhancing the development of relevant GHG mitigation planning and programs.
2. Sustainable Landscapes: The Partnership for Land Use Science (Forest-PLUS) program will carry forward the U.S.-India partnership on climate change, with interventions that target land use and forestry. The overall objective of Forest-PLUS is to support and strengthen the elements of the “Green India Mission.” The program will achieve its results through two components: 1) a Sustainable Landscapes strategy to increase sequestration of carbon through forests; and 2) a Low Carbon Growth Strategy to enhance climate resilient, GHG mitigation planning and programs.
3. Adaptation: Activities where climate vulnerability and adaptation are made an explicit part of project analysis and design.
To increase access to water, USAID recognizes the crosscutting nature that water plays in addressing poverty reduction and sustainable development. A new initiative, Water Analysis, Innovations, and Systems Program (WAISP) will build upon the successes of past and current USAID water supply and sanitation projects.
USAID/India recently completed a broad, cross-sector water assessment, which identifies ways India can address its multiple challenges through better stewardship of water resources. The recommendations will support the design and development of USAID’s short and long term investments in the water sector in India. Read the report to know more.
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