Rational Expectations: Vital to understand costs of ‘net-zero’

Given India has already achieved more than 60% of its 2030 commitment at Paris of cutting energy-intensity by 33-35%, most expect it to announce a net-zero date of 2050, or a decade ahead of China’s commitment. Indeed, India is just two percentage points short of its 2030 target—also at Paris—of having 40% of electricity generation capacity via non-fossil-fuels.

But, as a study by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW, bit.ly/3w0K8Sc) makes clear, Paris and net-zero are entirely different. India’s Paris commitment was to cut energy-intensity of GDP. So, if GDP rises 2.5 times between 2015 and 2030, India’s greenhouse gas emissions can double while still meeting the Paris targets.