The Challenge of a Low Carbon Economy

The document highlights South Asia's vulnerability to climate change and criticizes developed nations for attempting to shift the burden of mitigation through offsets and Carbon Capture and Storage. It details India's eight national climate missions, including ambitious solar power targets and energy efficiency schemes, while noting that India's dependency on coal could be reduced from a 'business as usual' projection of 69.5% to 57.7% under a low-carbon strategy. The author emphasizes that after 2020, India will exhaust 'low hanging' options, necessitating revolutionary technology and drastic emission reductions in industrialized countries based on the principle of equity.

• South Asia is identified as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change, with the author arguing that developed nations are attempting to avoid domestic action by using 'offsets' and 'silver bullets like Carbon Capture and Storage' to shift mitigation burdens.
• The Indian government has implemented eight national missions on climate change: a solar mission aiming for 1100 MW by 2013 with a US$ 20 billion investment over 25 years; enhanced energy efficiency via the "Perform, Achieve and Trade Scheme" (PAT) and CFL installation; Sustainable Urban Development focusing on public transport in 10 cities; the National Water Mission for groundwater and efficiency; the Green India Mission targeting 10 million ha of increased forest cover; Sustainable Agriculture; the Himalayan Mission; and the Strategic Knowledge Mission.
• India's power sector is currently 67.8% dependent on coal. Under a low-carbon strategy involving hydro-power, wind, and solar, this dependency could be reduced to 57.7%, avoiding 3.4 billion MT CO2 compared to a 'business as usual' scenario where coal dependency would rise to 69.5%.
• The author asserts that India will exhaust all 'low hanging' and high-end commercialized technology options by 2020, creating a requirement for revolutionary technology and drastic emission reduction targets in industrialized countries to maintain equity.

APA

Narian, S. (n.d.). The Challenge of a Low Carbon Economy. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/the-challenge-of-a-low-carbon-economy

Chicago

Narian, Sunita. The Challenge of a Low Carbon Economy. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/the-challenge-of-a-low-carbon-economy.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Narian |first1=Sunita |title=The Challenge of a Low Carbon Economy |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/the-challenge-of-a-low-carbon-economy |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{narianndchallenge, author = {Narian, Sunita}, title = {{The Challenge of a Low Carbon Economy}}, publisher = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/the-challenge-of-a-low-carbon-economy}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }