With the UNFCCC Paris summit fast approaching, India has finally submitted its post—2020 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target towards climate change mitigation. Accordingly, it has promised to lower the emission intensity of GDP by 33—35% from 2005 levels in 2030. Simply put, India has committed to lowering its greenhouse gas emission per unit of economic activity. This is expected to cost $2.5 trillion over the next 15 years and India expects to receive both financial and technological help from developed countries to meet its self—imposed goal.

That said, the goal set by government is in the right direction. The emission intensity reduction target is achievable as India has been making steady progress towards a low—carbon growth path. Between 2005 and 2010, emission intensity of GDP declined by 12% on account of improvements in technology and legal changes brought about to raise emission standards across all areas. This trend is set to continue with Indian cities expected to shift in steps to cleaner fuel over the next few years.

Of course, it’s important for future governments to stick to this path and not give in to populist demands. Plus, combating climate change through the energy efficiency route would require India to not deviate from its plan of generating 40% of electricity (installed capacity) through non—fossil fuel sources. Government intends to dramatically ramp up nuclear, wind and solar capacity with the latter, in particular, increasing from 4GW to 100GW over the next seven years.

However, challenges abound. While nuclear power is bogged down by liability laws, wind and solar power generation is intermittent and presents transmission and storage problems. For these to be ramped up huge investments are required in smart grids and integrated transmission networks. This is where foreign aid in the form of soft loans and technology transfers comes in. Developed countries have a historical responsibility to vacate carbon space and help developing countries like India meet emission mitigation targets without compromising on their development needs. Besides, India’s per capita emission continues to be far lower than the developed world and industrialised middle income nations such as China. In this scenario India’s INDCs are fair and ambitious, allowing New Delhi to play a pivotal role in climate change mitigation while ensuring a decent standard of living for its citizens.