Objective

Public and private actors consider climate co-benefits and apply methodologies when implementing new activities in the focus areas of circular economy and biodiversity, and the dialogue between Indian and German Environment ministries as well as synergies of the IKI-portfolio (International Climate Initiative) in India are enhanced.

Context

India plays an important role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The country is one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters worldwide with emissions projected to increase between 76% and 87% by 2030 (compared to 2010) following the business as usual (BAU) scenario. At the same time, India is severely impacted by the consequences of climate change.

The Government of India (GoI) is highly motivated to contribute to the achievement of the Paris Agreement by reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has raised the ambition level of the country´s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

This calls for accelerated climate action in sectors and areas not yet covered sufficiently in the country’s climate strategies.

Thus, the project focuses on the development of methodologies for the accounting of climate co-benefits, measured in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions or sinks, for programmes of the Government of India that do not have a specific climate focus. Accounting of mitigation and adaptation impacts can be reported to support India’s NDC commitments and the Paris Agreement. (Further, methodologies can be used by public and private sector companies for accounting and trading on international and national carbon markets, thus accelerating investments in low carbon pathways.)

Approach including the target group

The project supports the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with the coordination and implementation of Indian climate and biodiversity policies, in particular India’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

Therefore, the project promotes a climate co-benefits approach to address untapped potential for strengthening Indian NDC implementation. The project focuses on the development of methodologies for the accounting of climate co-benefits, measured in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions or sinks, for programmes of the Government of India that do not have a specific climate focus. This way, so far unaccounted mitigation and adaptation impacts can be reported to support India’s NDC commitments.

Furthermore, the project develops models for public-private sector collaboration implementing demonstration projects in selected states to establish a climate co-benefit roadmap. Aligned to priorities of the MoEFCC, project activities focus on two selected areas: circular economy/resource efficiency and forests/biodiversity.

In particular, the project is focusing on intense support for public and private sector enterprises including the umbrella organisation Standing Committee of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The SCOPE members include giant state enterprises for coal, gas, steel, oil and are responsible for 87% of India’s GHG emissions and thus, have huge mitigation potential.

Jointly with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the project implements the interface function for IKI projects in India to foster synergies within the climate portfolio of German ministries in India and ensure knowledge management towards them. At the same time, it supports the climate and biodiversity dialogue between Germany and India in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the Indo-German Environmental Forum, in particular the joint working groups under this umbrella.

Highlight Activities

• The project started the process for developing climate co-benefits-based methodologies so that mitigation and adaptation impacts can be reported to support India’s NDC commitments and the Paris Agreement.
• The project is cooperating with public sector enterprises including the umbrella organisation SCOPE as well as with the private sector and CII.
• The project implements the IKI India Interface function jointly with TERI. Currently, 46 IKI projects in India are aligned for networking and knowledge exchange to build and foster synergies of the IKI portfolio in India. A quarterly “IKI India & Climate Policy” Newsletter is published and the 3rd IKI India Networking Workshop was held in October 2022.
• To foster exchange between Indian and German companies, the project participated at the “Roundtable on Private Sector Cooperation potentials in India”, initiated by the Auslandshandelskammer (AHK) India together with the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (APA).
• The project supports German Ministries in implementation of the new Indo-German Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP), the multilateral Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the German support on request of the MoEFCC for India’s G20 presidency 2023.
• The project supported the public enterprise Northern Railway and the Varanasi Municipal Corporation to transform the Central Railway Station into a model Zero Waste station including a Closed loop model for wastewater treatment and the planting of a high-density urban forest (Miyawaki plantation), with all measures offering multiple climate co-benefits.