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The document outlines four primary categories of financial interventions for regional governments to accelerate the energy transition: increasing capital availability, implementing first-cost solutions, creating market incentives, and reducing procurement costs. It details specific mechanisms such as green investment banks, energy savings performance contracts, carbon pricing, and reverse auctions, providing examples of legislation and programs from various global jurisdictions to illustrate their application.

The report details severe pollution and health crises linked to Aditya Birla Group's viscose plants in India and Indonesia, highlighting discrepancies between the company's public sustainability image and the actual conditions on the ground.

The report examines India's coal dependency and the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Using the AIM/Enduse model, it compares the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) scenario with two 2°C pathways: a 'conventional' one relying on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and a 'sustainable' one shifting toward renewables, gas, and nuclear power. Key findings highlight the risk of significant stranded assets—including approximately 220 billion tonnes of unutilized coal reserves valued at USD 6.7 trillion—and the increasing vulnerability of coal power plants to water shortages, which already cause substantial generation losses. The report argues that while coal remains a mainstay until 2030, a managed phase-out is necessary to meet global climate targets, requiring synchronized actions in energy efficiency, renewable scaling, and the retirement of inefficient sub-critical plants.

The document argues that closing the gap between climate ambitions and implementation requires a shift from general capacity building to targeted 'capability development'. CDKN defines capability as the ability to apply tools, skills, and knowledge effectively combined with the willingness to act. The paper identifies four essential types of capability: technical, relational, strategic, and institutional. It proposes a seven-step iterative process for development, emphasizing context analysis, co-owned agendas, and adaptive programming. Case studies from Rwanda and India are used to illustrate how these capabilities enable governments to secure climate funding and implement action plans.

The report details how the viscose industry in China, India, and Indonesia causes severe water and air pollution, leading to health crises like cancer and birth deformities in local communities. It identifies a lack of transparency in fashion supply chains and argues that a small group of dominant producers, pressured by major brands, could rapidly transition the industry toward closed-loop, non-toxic production systems.

The report details how the production of viscose, often marketed as an ecological alternative to cotton or synthetics, involves highly polluting chemical processes in China, India, and Indonesia. It documents the discharge of untreated wastewater into local water sources, leading to severe health issues such as cancer and congenital deformities, and the destruction of local ecosystems and traditional livelihoods. The investigation reveals that major global fashion brands, including H&M, Inditex (Zara), and ASOS, source their viscose from these polluting factories. The document argues that because a small group of 10 companies controls approximately 70% of global viscose production, large fashion brands have the purchasing power to force a transition toward closed-loop, less toxic production systems.

This report analyzes the economic viability and technical requirements for the 100% decarbonization of Indian Railways' (IR) traction electricity demand, focusing on a case study in Madhya Pradesh. It concludes that a mixed wind and solar energy strategy is the most cost-effective approach, projecting that decarbonization will be 26-28% cheaper than business-as-usual by 2030.

The report finds that 100% decarbonization of Indian Railways' traction electricity demand in Madhya Pradesh would be 26-28% cheaper than the business-as-usual pathway by 2030. This cost-effectiveness is driven by falling renewable energy and battery storage costs, contrasted with rising fossil fuel costs. The study emphasizes that an optimal mix of wind and solar power is essential to minimize balancing costs, which are expected to account for 5-8% of total costs by 2030. However, the report warns of significant policy and regulatory risks, particularly the lack of recognition of Indian Railways' deemed transmission and distribution licensee status by state governments and the difficulty in securing power banking arrangements.

The report assesses the decarbonization of Indian Railways (IR), the world's second largest railway network and India's largest electricity consumer. It identifies that transitioning to an electrified network is a prerequisite for decarbonization. The study compares eight pathways based on procurement (captive generation vs. purchasing), rate (accelerated by 2020 vs. normal by 2030), and technology (solar vs. solar-wind mix). Findings indicate that accelerated captive generation is the most cost-effective pathway for both traction and non-traction segments, offering savings of 32% and 61% respectively over business-as-usual scenarios. Implementation challenges include inconsistent state policies on net metering and open access, as well as the need for load balancing technologies like power banking and pumped hydro storage.

The report uses data from the Climate Asia study, which surveyed 33,500 people across seven Asian countries, to examine how residents of India perceive and respond to climate change. In India, research was conducted between May and August 2012 across five states—Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand—and the city of Mumbai, representing diverse geographies and socio-economic groups. The study utilized surveys, 24 focus group discussions, 8 community assessments, and 30 expert interviews. The report identifies three priority audiences for communication: farmers, the urban poor, and housewives.

The report investigates the 51°C record temperature in Phalodi, Rajasthan, on 19 May 2016. While annual mean temperatures in India are increasing, the analysis found that human-induced climate change did not play a statistically significant role in this specific event or a similar 2015 event in Andhra Pradesh. The authors suggest that the warming effect of greenhouse gases may be masked by the cooling effects of aerosols and increased irrigation. However, the report warns that as energy policies shift away from fossil fuels, the diminishing cooling effect of aerosols could increase the intensity of future heat waves.

The document examines how conservation policies are used to forcibly evict indigenous peoples from ancestral lands, often masking commercial interests. It highlights the disproportionate impact on women and children and provides case studies from India's Panna Tiger Reserve and Kenya's Embobut Forest to illustrate human rights violations and the failure of top-down conservation models.

The proposal outlines a 25-year program to address financing gaps for off-grid energy (OGE) companies in India. It seeks US$31 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to create a first-loss capital pool and provide technical assistance, complementing a US$100 million revolving credit line anchored by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA). The facility aims to reduce the high perceived risk of OGE lending, lower interest rates for companies, and replace kerosene use with clean energy in underserved rural and urban areas.

The analysis found that while human-induced climate change slightly increased the probability of the 2016 record-breaking heat in Rajasthan, the effect was not statistically significant. The study suggests that the warming effect of greenhouse gases in India is being partially offset by the cooling effects of aerosols and increased irrigation. Despite the lack of a strong temperature trend, the combination of high heat, pollution, and humidity is increasing the health risks and mortality associated with heat waves.

The report argues that India's kerosene subsidy program is highly inefficient due to significant leakages and poor service quality. It proposes replacing these subsidies with targeted support for solar-based lighting in rural areas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for urban-poor households, asserting that such a transition would be economically beneficial for both the government and the beneficiaries.

The adivasi communities in Panna district, Madhya Pradesh, are experiencing systemic displacement and poverty driven by diamond and stone mining and the creation of wildlife reserves like the Panna Tiger Reserve. These activities have destroyed traditional livelihoods, leading to widespread reliance on illegal mining characterized by inhumane conditions, child labour, and occupational diseases such as silicosis. Women and children are disproportionately affected, with women earning half the wages of men and children as young as 5 or 6 working in mines. Conservation efforts have further marginalized these communities through evictions from ancestral lands, often based on false promises of relocation benefits. Civil society organizations, including Prithvi Trust, Keystone Foundation, and Dhaatri Resource Centre, are working to secure land titles under the Forest Rights Act of 2006 and seek compensation for health impacts, though systemic barriers and a 'mining mafia' hinder progress.

The report finds that while renewable energy auctions are generally cost-effective and fair in project allocation, they often suffer from low deployment due to poor risk management. By analyzing 20 global auctions, the study identifies that project risks (such as transmission and land acquisition) have a greater negative impact on deployment than auction-specific risks. The authors recommend a 'controlled environment' for introducing wind energy auctions in India, including pre-identified sites and resource assessments, alongside the use of strong penalties for non-commissioning and payment guarantee mechanisms to ensure financial viability.

The report analyzes 11 CDM projects across five Indian states, concluding that sustainable development through these projects is largely a 'myth'. It finds severe discrepancies between PDD promises and actual impacts, noting that industrial projects often use CER revenue to expand production, leading to increased pollution. Most projects failed to provide promised local employment, healthcare, or education, and some caused significant harm through illegal land acquisition and environmental degradation. Only the Muni Seva Ashram solar community kitchen project was identified as successfully contributing to social, economic, environmental, and technological well-being.

The text highlights the ecological and social costs of coal mining in Central India, specifically the loss of biodiversity and displacement of forest communities. It notes that despite doubling coal production capacity since 2007, 400 million Indians still lack electricity. The document criticizes the failure of 22 out of 29 Indian states to meet Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) targets in 2012 and argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) acts as a fossil fuel subsidy by providing credits to coal plants that do not achieve real emission reductions.

The document details CDKN's efforts in India to enhance climate resilience through technical assistance, research, and policy support. Key initiatives include addressing 'silent disasters' in Ladakh, promoting gender-responsive state action plans, and using community radio for adaptation knowledge. It also analyzes the challenges facing State Action Plans for Climate Change (SAPCCs), noting that the automatic appointment of Forest Departments as nodal agencies often hinders the multi-sectoral coordination required for effective implementation.