Earlier this week, the Indian government released its action plan for fighting climate change. The plan focuses on technological solutions rather than mandating emissions caps. India's per capita emissions continue to remain low, especially in comparison to per capita emissions of the industrialized world. India is thus focusing on harnessing technology to mitigate effects of climate change instead of issuing obligatory national carbon emissions caps. India has however categorically stated that her per capita emissions will at no point be allowed to exceed the per capita emissions of developed countries.
The plan has been prepared under the guidance and direction of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change. The action plan emphasizes on energy efficiency and cleaner technology and includes eight national missions on solar energy, enhancing energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water conservation, for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem, creating a "Green India", sustainable agriculture, and establishing a strategic knowledge platform for climate change.
The action plan is also expected to launch a domestic market in energy trading. The plan mandates energy benchmarks for each industrial sector and allows trade in energy saving certificates. Thus, it aims to create a market-based mechanism that will encourage energy saving and efficiency by allowing energy-conservative industries to earn profits by selling their energy certificates to energy-inefficient industries. This market based system might well be the driving force behind energy reform in the Indian industrial sector.
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