Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination (Topic: India's LT-LEDS)

Why in Broadcast?

  • India submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LTLEDS) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

About LT-LEDS

  • Under Paris Agreement 2015, countries have to submit two types of climate action plans:
  • Short term
  • Long-term
  • Short-term climate strategy is called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
  • Submitted every five years.
  • The LT-LEDS is prepared after extensive consultations held by the Environment Ministry with all relevant ministries and departments, state governments, research institutions and civil society organizations

Key Considerations

  • India's long-term low-carbon development strategy has 4 key considerations:
  • India's contribution to the global warming has been very low despite having a share of ~17% of the world's population.
  • India has significant energy needs for development.
  • India is committed to pursuing low-carbon strategies for development and is actively pursuing them, as per national circumstances.
  • India needs to build climate resilience.

Salient Features of Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS)

Sectoral Trasnformations:

The LT- LEDS has prioritized six strategic sectors- electricity, transport, urban, industry, carbon dioxide removal and forests

  • Electricity Sector- More renewable energy, demand side reductions and just transition for phase down of coal will be prioritized.
  • Transport Sector- India will look to transition to cleaner fuels, increase energy efficiency, and aggressive electrification.
  • Urban Sector- It will have focus on material efficiency of buildings.
  • Industrial Sector- This will target to improve energy efficiency, electrification, material efficiency and green hydrogen.
  • Carbon Dioxide Removal- Its inclusion into LT-LEDS show that India is open to new technology and will pilot these for climate change.
  • Forest- India has strong forest policies and will continue to protect its forests and expand tree cover to act as carbon sink.

Finance and Investments:

  • According to Council on Energy, Environment and Water assessment, India will need $10 trillion to achieve the 2070 net-zero targets.

LiFE:

  • LiFE is India's call for citizens, communities, industries and policy makers of the world to adopt a lifestyle for the environment.
  • LiFE elevates the importance of individual contribution to the larger climate goal.

Challenges before India

  • Global carbon budget
  • Failure of the developed countries in fulfilling the commitments regarding finance and technology.
  • Environmental shocks affecting the agriculture.
  • Committing to net-zero will lead to:
  • Revenue loss for poorer Indian states
  • Loss in employment opportunities