In Short : India’s national carbon trading system is set to cover 15% of the country’s total emissions by 2030, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). This initiative aims to promote sustainable practices and reduce carbon emissions in various sectors. By creating a market-based mechanism, India aims to encourage industries to adopt cleaner technologies, improve energy efficiency, and reduce their overall carbon footprint. This step aligns with the country’s commitment to combating climate change and achieving its renewable energy and emission reduction targets.
In Detail : India’s national emissions trading system should begin operating within two years and could cover about 15% of the country’s emissions by 2030, according to an official involved in the preparations.
The market is likely to initially cover heavily polluting industries including steel, cement, paper and pulp, petrochemicals and aluminum, subject to their readiness, said Abhay Bakre, director general at the state-run Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
India’s power sector, which currently relies on coal for about 70% of electricity generation, may not be included in the system, Bakre said in an interview in New Delhi last week. Decarbonization in that sector is being driven by other mechanisms including renewable purchase obligations for power retailers as well as trading of renewable energy certificates.
The compliance market is intended to encourage major industrial polluters to curb their climate footprint and to adopt clean energy technologies, including green hydrogen and carbon capture. India is the world’s third-largest emitter and targeting reaching net zero by 2070.
Emissions trading will build on an existing system run by the bureau, where companies can trade energy savings beyond a prescribed mark, Bakre said.
Discussions with industries are also continuing on the potential need to develop a voluntary carbon market, he said.
