India shows way to reduce global emissions by 2 billion tonnes in 2030, says IEA
Author: Dishha Bagchi
Ahead of the India Energy Week beginning in Bengaluru on February 6, 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said adopting India’s Lifestyles for Environment (LiFE) initiative could help reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2 billion tonnes in 2030, about one-fifth of the emission reduction needed to be on the pathway to global net-zero emissions. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, the LiFE initiative is aimed to encourage sustainable lifestyles in the country and to tackle the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change globally. India, the third largest national market globally for renewables, has already integrated several policies in its energy transition strategy and is currently 10 per cent more energy efficient than both the international and G20 average, the IEA said in its latest report released on February 6, 2023. “India’s G20 Presidency this year represents a unique opportunity to globalise the LiFE initiative – providing a knowledge-sharing platform for other leading economies to realise the impact that LiFE’s recommendations can have in the fight against climate change, air pollution and unaffordable energy bills. Since the G20 makes up nearly 80 per cent of global energy demand, meaningful changes by its members can make a big difference,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said. In recent years, India has also seen a rise in consumer-centric solutions like distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, with rooftop solar growing 30-fold in less than 10 years. Sales of electric vehicles have also tripled from 2021, making up almost 5 per cent of the market share in 2022.