Enabling Energy Sustainability

Abstract

Energy is the mainstay of societal growth, economic development and key enablers to India’s developmental ambition. Reeling under pervasive energy poverty, resource inequality and poor access to clean energy options, the socio-economic transformation and transition to higher human development status will require India to quadruple its per capita energy consumption. However, unmanaged and rapid growth in energy usage driven by change in market dynamics and social transformation, if not sustainably managed, could result into multidimensional challenges of energy security, energy equity, environmental sustainability and incremental concerns of climate change and will be difficult to address through scale and reach of traditional and business-as-usual practice.

The article intends to assess the existing sectoral compliance to SDG indicators, gaps restricting the adoption of SDG agendas, and propose transformational strategies towards achievement of the sectoral goals. Institutional and policy frameworks have been suggested as paving pathway for mainstreaming and localising of SDGs, accelerating its adoptions as well as facilitating its amalgamation with other developmental agendas. Suggestions also being made towards widening and deepening of current indicators towards achieving the overall objectives of SDG target.