THE CONTEXT: India’s quest for economic growth within COP-28’s coal phase-down commitments necessitates a balance between development, energy security, and decarbonization. The power sector must optimize existing thermal assets, enhance coal plant flexibility, promote energy storage integration, and establish self-reliant RE technology supply chains. Strategic planning in these areas will support India’s dual sustainable development objectives and meet its climate action goals.

ISSUES:

• Economic Growth and COP-28 Commitments: India aims to be the fastest-growing economy but faces the challenge of global agreements to phase down unabated coal. Adherence to COP-28 dictates a shift from traditional coal reliance to sustainable energy sources.
• Climate Action and Vulnerability: India is the seventh most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change. Reduction in fossil fuel subsidies by 76% between FY14 and FY22. Goal to triple installed renewable power generation by 2030.
• Energy Sector Dynamics: Over 100 GW from coal-based plants meets the base power load most days. Coal remains indispensable for peak demands and backup during non-solar hours.
• Decarbonization and Energy Security: Strategies to make existing coal plants flexible and more responsive to peak demand periods, reducing unplanned outages. ~38 GW thermal plants faced unplanned outages in 2023. Enhancing coal fleet flexibility to integrate renewable energy smoothly.
• Renewable Energy Integration: Plans to retrofit approximately 92% of coal and lignite-based capacity for better integration of renewables. Payment mechanisms developed by CERC and state regulators for retrofitting costs.
• Energy Storage Systems :There is a need for incentivizing storage solutions like battery energy storage systems (BESS) to balance the grid during renewable downtime. Introducing ’round-the-clock’ bids combining renewable energy production with energy storage.
• Supply Chain Indigenization :Emphasis on indigenizing supply chains for battery storage and renewable energy (RE) technology. FY22 data: Coal worth approx. INR 1.5 lakh crore produced, supporting central and state revenue, and Indian Railways. The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme commits INR 19,000 crore to solar manufacturing.
• Policy and Future Commitments :Policymakers are urged to balance domestic energy security with long-term decarbonization plans. Importance of transparent assessment of long-term costs associated with traditional versus renewable energy sources. Focus on providing low-cost and affordable electricity essential for the economy and living standards.

WAY FORWARD:

• Enhancing Grid Stability and Reducing Outages: Implement advanced grid management using big data analytics and AI to predict and mitigate outages. Strengthen regulatory frameworks to incentivize the reliability of power plants.
• Integrating Renewable Energy: Accelerate the retrofitting of coal-based power plants to handle variable loads from renewable sources. Develop new market mechanisms to compensate plants for providing flexible services.
• Renewable Energy Storage Incentives: Establish financial subsidies or tax rebates for energy storage solutions to complement renewable energy sources. Promote public-private partnerships to scale up battery storage infrastructure.
• Domestic Manufacturing and Atmanirbhar Bharat: Expand the scope of the PLI scheme to include battery storage and other renewable energy technologies. Encourage joint ventures and knowledge sharing with global leaders to build technical expertise.
• Sustainable Energy Policies: Formulate policies favoring low-carbon technologies and consider total life-cycle costs to make renewables more competitive. Implement robust Feed-in Tariff (FIT) policies to ensure favorable returns on renewable energy investments.
• Infrastructure for Renewable Integration: Upgrade transmission infrastructure to handle increased renewable capacity. Invest in smart grids capable of two-way communication and dynamic response to changing energy demands.
• Research and Development: Allocate a significant portion of the national budget to R&D in clean energy technologies. Establish Centers of Excellence for renewable energy research with global partnerships.
• Public Awareness and Education: Launch nationwide campaigns to raise public awareness regarding the benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Integrate energy conservation and renewable energy principles into educational curriculums.
• International Cooperation: Maintain active dialogues with international bodies to share best practices and technology transfer in renewable energy. Seek international funding and technical expertise for large-scale renewable projects.
• Long-term Energy Planning: Conduct comprehensive assessments of the long-term returns and sustainability of energy investments. Frame long-term energy policies that balance immediate energy security needs with long-term decarbonization goals.

THE CONCLUSION:

Proactive strategies to enhance energy sector efficiencies, foster renewable energy integration, and build self-reliant supply chains are crucial and inevitable steps toward a greener future. With judicious policymaking and tech-enabled solutions, India can achieve the dual objectives of energy security and a thriving, sustainable economy.

UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTIONS:

Q 1) Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at the World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021. When was this idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance (ISA)? (2021)

Q 2) The adoption of electric vehicles is rapidly growing worldwide. How do electric vehicles contribute to reducing carbon emissions, and what are their key benefits compared to traditional combustion engine vehicles? (2023)

Q 3) With growing energy needs, should India keep expanding its nuclear energy program? Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy. (2018)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q.1) Discuss the proactive strategies that India can adopt to enhance energy sector efficiencies, foster renewable integration, and build self-reliant supply chains. How can these strategies help India achieve the dual objectives of energy security and a thriving, sustainable economy?”

SOURCE:

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/fired-up-and-plugged-in-driving-indias-energy-security-and-decarbonisation-this-decade/article67765417.ece

THE CONTEXT: The 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC, in Dubai, was notable in terms of stopping the lackadaisical approach of the international community to the adaptation concern. Guided by the Paris Agreement on Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and the efforts put in at COP26 and COP27 culminated in the adoption of the framework for GGA at COP28.

WHAT IS GLOBAL GOAL ON ADAPTATION?

• The Global Goal on Adaptation is a collective commitment under Article 7.1 of the Paris Agreement aimed at “enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change.”
• It was proposed by the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in 2013 and established in 2015.
• GGA is meant to serve as a unifying framework that can drive political action and finance for adaptation on the same scale as mitigation.
• This means setting specific, measurable targets and guidelines for global adaptation action as well as enhancing adaptation finance and support for developing countries.

Key targets:

• Parties to the Paris Agreement have to “conduct up-to-date assessments of climate hazards, and use the outcomes of these assessments to inform their formulation of national adaptation plans and planning strategies, by 2030.
• All the Parties have to establish multi-hazard early warning systems, climate information services for risk reduction and systematic observation to support improved climate-related data, information and services by 2027.
• National conditions, including administrative capacity and economic development, were identified alongside adequate support as key influencing factors for the implementation of a global goal.

CHALLENGES:

• Inefficiency of Nationally Determined Goals: The best mitigation efforts enshrined in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of the Parties to the Paris Agreement are not in sight of restricting global average temperature below 1.5° C as compared to pre-industrial levels. They would rather nudge the world towards the 2.8° C point by the end of the century.
• Alignment of global and national goals: There is a concern remaining here of alignment of global and national goals. A comprehensive review of experiences from the Millennium Development Goals found that globally agreed goals do not trickle down easily from the global to the national level.
• Measuring GGA: Unlike mitigation of greenhouse gases, climate adaptation does not have a universal metric, and its ambition or implementation level cannot be simply aggregated based on countries’ national pledges. The GGA framework aims to launch a two-year work programme on indicators for measuring progress achieved towards the targets mentioned in paragraphs 9-10 of the GGA draft decisions. But there is no clarity on the parameters and the body who will develop it.
• Issue of finance: The COP28 draft decision notes with concern that the adaptation finance gap is widening, which leads to widening gap between the estimated costs of meeting a given adaptation target and the amount of finance available. The COP26’s urge to developed countries to double overall adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025 was repeated in the Draft Decision. Estimation made on the basis of updated NDCs or national adaptation plans indicate a figure of $71 billion per year from now to 2030. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries have already admitted that their combined mitigation and adaptation finance flows fell short of the annual $100 billion to $83.3 billion in 2020.
• Prioritising mitigation over adaptation: In a global context of scarce public funds and competing priorities, there is also a strong bias in climate financing in favour of mitigation as compared to adaptation. Buchner, in a study of Climate policy initiative, said that the split between mitigation and adaptation finance is 95:5.

Some of the reasons for that:

1. Climate change regime has been largely mitigation centric

2. Rich countries do not gain much as the benefits of adaptation are local

3. Mitigation projects generate benefits globally and the availability of low-cost mitigation options in developing countries.

• The GGA is an encouraging development as it contains a number of developments that are very useful for the cause of adaptation. But it still falls short in terms of treating adaptation on a par with mitigation. It lays stress on holding the increase in the global average temperature well below 2° C and 1.5° C essential for ensuring the continued availability of the largest number of adaptation options. It also adds greater levels of mitigation that will reduce the need for additional adaptation efforts.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• Urgent implementation: Implementing GGA needs more urgency in terms of treating adaptation on a par with mitigation in the face of extreme climate events with devastating consequences. As these climate change events are happening at only 1.1° Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels.
• Developing a standardised metrics: There is a need to develop a standardised metric supported by international donors and the national budget managers to help them in all sorts of adaptation projects. For example, the most sought-after dimension of climate change problem mitigation is working with universal metric of CO2 equivalents, which can be applied across specific contexts to measure impacts in an easily comparable format.

THE CONCLUSION:

With increasing effect of climate change, there is a need to anticipate the problems and look for measures to reduce the adverse effects of climate related projects. In this regard, policies on adaptation need to be considered with utmost safeguards and on par with mitigation to achieve the effects of the climate goals.

UPSC PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Q.1 Explain the purpose of Green Grid Initiative launched at the World Leaders Summit of COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasglow in November 2021. When was the idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance (ISA)? (2021)

Q.2 Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (2021)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q.1 What is Global Goal on Adaptation  and what are its key targets?  Discuss the challenges and strategies required to achieve these goals?

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/global-goal-on-adaptation-and-the-road-from-dubai/article67674201.ece

THE CONTEXT: As the climate crisis intensifies, two terms are in sharp focus adaptation and ‘loss and damage’ (L&D).

WHAT IS THE LOSS AND DAMAGE FUND?

• Three pillars which deals with climate change:
  • Mitigation (funding to reduce emissions).
  • Adaptation (funding to minimise the negative impacts of emissions).
  • Loss and damage (funding to address the harms caused by emissions).
• Loss and damage refer to the negative consequences that arise from the unavoidable risks of climate change, like rising sea levels, prolonged heatwaves, desertification, the acidification of the sea and extreme events, such as bushfires, species extinction and crop failures.
• At the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP 19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Warsaw, Poland, in 2013, representatives of member countries agreed to establish the Loss and Damage fund.
  • It was being created to provide financial and technical assistance to economically developing nations that were incurring loss and damage (L&D) due to climate change.
• At COP 27 in November 2022, representatives of the UNFCCC’s member states agreed to set up the L&D fund and a Transitional Committee (TC) to figure out how the new funding mechanisms under the fund would operate.

OUTCOME OF (TRANSITIONAL COMMITTEE) TC4 AND TC5 MEETINGS:

• TC4: The fourth meeting concluded on October 20, 2023, without a consensus on how to operationalize the L&D fund.
• TC5: The fifth meeting concluded on November 10, 2023, with a set of recommendations have been drafted and forwarded to COP28.
  • Developing nations conceded to the fund being hosted by the World Bank for an interim period of four years, but developed nations, particularly the U.S., have remained non-committal about being primary donors to the fund and have rejected references to the CBDR, equity, and liability in the draft.

CHALLENGES:

• Lack of trust: The TC5 outcome highlights a profound lack of trust between affluent and emerging economics regarding their historical responsibilities.
• Hosting of the fund at the World Bank: World bank charges an exorbitant overhead fee. Developing countries are requesting a dedicated funding mechanism and independent secretariat to manage it.
• Commitments: The unwillingness of wealthy nations to fulfil intended commitments undermines faith in global climate negotiations and hampers the cooperative spirit necessary to address climate change.
• Funds: There is currently no indication of the size of the fund.
• Developing countries: Developing nations feel that the international community is not taking their concerns and needs seriously, which is making it more difficult to address climate change and other global issues.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

• Threatens climate justice: It threatens climate justice and exacerbates the suffering of vulnerable communities in developing nations. These communities have contributed minimally to global emissions but today bear the brunt of climate change.
• Increase humanitarian crises: – It will increase the number of humanitarian crises including via food shortage, people displacement, and conflict, and force communities to cope independently with a worsening climate and its consequences.
• Economic consequences: Financial crises and economic downturns in one region can have extensive repercussions due to the interconnectedness of the global economy.
• Security implications: climate-change-induced instability can have security implications as well, as conflicts and tensions emerge in vulnerable nations and threaten to spill across borders.
• Environmental crises: Without adequate L&D funds, there will also be limited capacity to address environmental degradation and the loss of vital ecosystems, which will further worsen environmental crises, causing irreversible harm to the earth.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• Developed nations should be the primary contributors on account of their historical responsibility, unfulfilled pledges, and capacity to pay.
• Additionally, the fund can mobilise money through taxes (climate damage, windfall, and aviation), multilateral development banks (MDBs), multilateral climate funds, philanthropies, and domestic carbon markets.
• Adaptation and L&D are not mutually exclusive concepts.They exist on a continuum of climate resilience, and both have a place in our collective efforts to combat climate change.
• A successful response to climate change requires us to balance the proactive measures of adaptation with the moral and financial responsibility of addressing the losses and damages.

THE CONCLUSION:

The L&D fund was conceived as a critical component of global climate action, recognising that some of the consequences of climate change are irreversible and beyond the capacity of vulnerable nations to handle. So to achieve climate justice, rich countries must meet their obligations to reduce emissions and deliver finance in line with what is fair. And thus uphold the principles of equity, justice, and solidarity in the face of a changing climate.

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS:

Q) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one meter by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region? (2023)

Q) Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (2022)

Q) Describe the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parses (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)? What are the commitments made by India in this conference? (2021)

MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q) What is the Loss and Damage Fund? What are its objectives? Discuss the challenges associated with the operationalisation of this fund? How India can play a prominent role in addressing these challenges?

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/loss-and-damage-fund-cop-28-transitional-committee-failure/article67514293.ece