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One of the few positive outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is the commitment by major nations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by a certain year. India has also committed to becoming a net zero country by 2070. While some developed nations may have scoffed at this timeline, the reality is that nations with different developmental trajectories cannot (and should not) be treated equally. The major polluters must first walk the talk and then expect others to follow suit. While it is a never-ending blame game between the developed and developing nations, in the interest of humanity and for their own well-being, the nations must do everything within their powers to ensure that they keep their emissions under control. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Policy initiatives in India" comment="subhead" text="Policy initiatives in India">Policy initiatives in India</cmsannotation> India has taken several measures towards climate change adaptation and mitigation. Our statutory framework ensures that air and water pollution is prevented and controlled, forests are conserved and restored, biological diversity is protected, and energy is generated and utilised efficiently to ensure minimal environmental impact. The Government has launched various policy initiatives to work towards its climate change commitments. The national and state action plans on climate change aim at integrating such climate action into their modus operandi. Among national schemes, the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) focuses on clean mobility and is meant to promote the transition to electric vehicles by providing incentives for manufacturing, adoption and development of associated infrastructure for electric vehicles. Financial assistance is being offered at the central and state levels for developing solar and wind energy projects like solar parks, grid-connected solar rooftops in residential buildings, installing off-grid solar devices and solar-based LED lights. Initiatives like Gujarat Emissions Trading Scheme, Renewable Energy Certificate, Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme are all meant to promote renewables, reduce emissions and achieve energy efficiency at the central and state levels. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Recent impetus to climate action" comment="subhead" text="Recent impetus to climate action">Recent impetus to climate action</cmsannotation> Some important and innovative schemes initiated in India to combat climate change include the India Cooling Action Plan 2019, which aims to reduce direct and indirect emissions from energy-intensive cooling devices like refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. The National Clean Air Program 2019 aims to reduce air pollution and addresses several forms of harmful emissions. The National Hydrogen Mission launched in 2021 aims to help India achieve its climate targets by making India a green hydrogen hub. India is also targeting to increase the usage of alternative fuels to reduce emissions by blending 20% Ethanol in petrol by 2025. Moreover, policies like National Building Code, 2016, Energy Conservation Building Code, 2017, Buildings Energy Efficiency Programme, green energy rating system, star rating programme, etc., seek to promote sustainability in the construction sector by improving energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, recycling, etc. The union budget for the financial year 2022-23 also announced initiatives for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies through sovereign green bonds, blended finance, etc. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Local and regional climate action" comment="subhead" text="Local and regional climate action">Local and regional climate action</cmsannotation> In addition to the various central government initiatives being implemented across the country, various states are devising their own strategies and plan to combat climate change. States like Gujarat, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu have constituted specific departments and cells to focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Kerala has announced a dedicated fund for this purpose and has issued green bonds to invest in climate resilience activities. Maharashtra has released the Mumbai Climate Action Plan to address climate change impacts in the coastal megacity and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It is not just the central and state governments but also the corporates are taking active steps to combat climate change. More than sixty Indian companies have announced their net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. Leading Indian companies, including Tata, Reliance, Mahindra, ITC, Adani Transmission, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel, and Dalmia Cement, have voluntarily pledged to move towards carbon neutrality through GHG emissions reduction and energy efficiency. With environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues gaining prominence and ESG reporting becoming mandatory for the top 1000 companies, almost all major companies are addressing ESG issues to set their house in order and adopt the best practices. Various Indian banks have also incorporated ESG considerations into their lending policies. Therefore, be it the government or the private sector, every stakeholder has realised the importance of climate action and is working to prevent the planetary crisis, which, not to forget, affects almost all living species, including humans. Nawneet Vibhaw is a Partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas &amp; Co. in the Environmental Law practice. This column is part of a year-long (2022-23) campaign on the theme “Only One Earth: Sustaining People, Planet and Prosperity” by Business Insider India’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">Sustainability Insider</a>. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author/interviewee do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The article has been partly edited for length and clarity.

OPINION: Towards a carbon-neutral India — How central, state governments, and corporations are striving to tackle the planetary crisis

In 2020, India surpassed the Mecca of the auto industry, Germany, to become the fifth-largest automobile market globally. While India has been adding millions of vehicles to its roads every year, not all vehicles which could be termed ‘end-of-life’ are going off the roads necessarily. The Government is taking proactive steps to promote clean mobility and increase the number of electric vehicles (EVs) as compared to the internal combustion vehicles (ICVs) on Indian roads. The intent has to be supported with suitable schemes, some of which have already been initiated by the Government. But, with a growing economy and availability of cheaper vehicles, the second-most populous country in the world needs to demonstrate that it is sure-footed towards clean mobility. This approach is even more crucial for meeting its net-zero target and other climate change commitments. India is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world! While vehicular pollution may not be the only reason for the poor air quality in most Indian cities, it is definitely a major contributing factor. Be it the courts, the government or the non-governmental organisations, they are all aware of the critical situation, and all stakeholders are working to improve it. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Policy framework for clean mobility" comment="subhead" text="Policy framework for clean mobility">Policy framework for clean mobility</cmsannotation> The Government rushed to implement BS-VI emission norms after the exiting BS-IV to expedite the shift towards cleaner mobility. It also implemented the production linked incentive (PLI) schemes for the automotive sector, including one for the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage. India also introduced FAME-II (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) in 2019 for three years, which was further extended for two years till 2024 to promote the sale of EVs in India. The Government has also introduced the National Green Hydrogen Policy and the Biofuel Policy to promote clean mobility. It has also created the e-AMRIT portal to provide all information related to EVs in India. The Government is now working towards creating an effective mechanism for scrapping end-of-life vehicles. It has recently circulated draft notifications meant to introduce ‘no-dues certificate’, set up automated testing stations and lay down the procedure for scrapping end-of-life vehicles. This will help remove the polluting vehicles from Indian roads, thus paving the way for cleaner EVs. However, a major challenge for electric mobility is the creation of the charging infrastructure. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Power introduced the guidelines and standards for charging infrastructure for EVs. The other major challenge remains in categorising EVs compared to ICVs, especially when it comes to the environmental consent and clearances required for their manufacturing. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The battery concern" comment="subhead" text="The battery concern">The battery concern</cmsannotation> One particular challenge remains the disposal of batteries and other wastes generated from EVs towards the end of their lifespans. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 and Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001, deal with such wastes to a limited extent. The batteries waste rules define ‘batteries’ as lead-acid batteries, thus excluding other types of batteries like nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion batteries, etc., from its scope. The need for the inclusion of other types of batteries in these rules has also been acknowledged by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its review report on the implementation of these rules, released in 2016. The Government of India had announced its plan to frame a policy for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. This was followed by the release of Draft Battery Waste Management Rules, 2020. These rules proposed to manage various types of used batteries and provided a detailed mechanism for collecting such used batteries. However, this draft is yet to be finalised. As per estimates, the recycling market for these batteries in India is expected to increase from 2.9 GWh in 2018 to about 800 GWh by 2030, which presents a USD 1,000 million business opportunity by 2030 to not only save the resources but also to create a circular economy. Nawneet Vibhaw is a Partner in the Environmental Law practice at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas &amp; Co. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are of the author/interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The article has been partly edited for length and clarity. This column is part of June 2022’s month-long awareness campaign on the theme “Only One Earth: Sustaining People, Planet and Prosperity” by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">Business Insider India’s Sustainability Insider</a>.

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