Only Clean Energy Across Sectors Can Protect The Planet And Living Beings

If the planet and the people living in it are to be protected then the fundamental requirement is to ensure clean energy across all sectors. There is no other alternative to it. Consider what the leading realty players are thinking. In line with the global focus on the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria, introduction of subsidies or incentives for green building certifications and renewable energy integration in residential and commercial projects are paramount. The government should promote green and sustainable real estate practices through tax rebates and incentives for developers adopting eco-friendly building technologies and materials. This aligns with the commitment to achieve carbon neutrality.

The urgency of addressing the twin challenges of climate action and sustainable economic growth has never been more profound. The country stands at the crossroads in its journey toward achieving a clean energy future, fuelled by ambitious goals like 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. No doubt the road is fraught with hurdles in the form of regulatory inefficiencies, market volatility and systemic issues that hamper the response to climate change. These factors notwithstanding, India is a global leader in clean energy, with a growing renewable energy sector and is the world's third largest consumer and producer of renewable energy.

Interestingly, the capacity of the country’s solar energy, which accounts for 47 per cent of India's renewable energy capacity, has grown significantly, with 24.5 GW added last year. India added 3.4 GW of wind capacity in 2024, a 21 per cent increase from 2023. As of January 20, the non-fossil fuel based energy capacity was 217.62 GW. Renewable energy generation has increased nearly 1.75 times since 2014. More importantly, the country has committed to achieving net zero emissions ahead of 2070.

One has to keep in mind that while our reliance on fossil fuels comes at a high cost, clean energy offers essential benefits for people and planet. Renewable or clean energy is increasingly affordable and its use is growing rapidly, but the global shift to renewables must be accelerated to meet global climate objectives. Moving away from fossil fuels is essential in the transition toward sustainable energy. The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable and reliable.

Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air. When it comes to policy prescriptions, all governments should focus on incentivized reductions in power sector carbon intensity with an emphasis on both near-term actions that drive the greatest reductions sooner, and a long-term vision of ambitious carbon reductions.

Policies should be transparent and predictable and allow lifecycle economics to drive investment decisions. Governments must promote market structures that value energy, flexibility and dependable capacity separately in order to encourage the optimum mix of technologies. People say: “Jaan hai toh Jahan hai”, but it’s often other way round (that’s Jahan hai toh jaan hai)! And to ensure survival of the ‘jahan’ (planet), we must immediately focus on clear energy, come what may.