Mitigation Prospects and Challenges for India in Responding to Climate Change

Abstract

Although India’s per-capita energy consumption is still a fraction of that in countries of the developed world, its commercial energy use has increased considerably in absolute terms, growing at about 6% during the past two decades and making India the fifth largest country in terms of primary energy consumption. India is currently one of the fastest growing economies of the world, and implications of its levels and patterns of energy use and associated emissions have generated interest globally in the context of discussions related to efficient use of energy and lowering future carbon footprints. Although development is a key concern and a challenge for all developing countries, the magnitude of the challenge differs enormously depending on the existing level of socioeconomic development of the country and the global context it faces at various stages of its development.