Mitigating the impact of climate change and generating energy for economic growth and development at the rate of 9% per annum,
must be the inclusive
growth, where scientists, academics, and public and private industry representatives across the nation and regions need to be collaborative in developing low – carbon
technologies such as hydrogen, fuel cells and solar, thermal and bio-energies and make them a commercial reality. India still has the scope to grow its carbon emissions by 233% before it hits the prescribed 1 million tonne of carbon emissions’ international limit, but it has also some carbon neutral tools at its disposal to make the most of its capacity. Today in India, we have a number of mature, sustainable, affordable and competitive energy systems. And more significantly India could save 277 million tones of carbon dioxide emissions by adapting low carbon technologies such as wind and biomass fuel in locally run centers at no extra costs than that of centralized energy. Biomass generated domestic power is being supplied up to 75 kilowatts of energy in 100 villages in India near Bangalore, resulting in creating carbon credits. Half of the investments are derived from selling carbon credits back to Europe. This model of emissions’ trading could be easily scaled up. No doubt that climate change would affect India severely, such as a significant change in rainfall pattern, resulting in decline in crop yield by 20 percent by 2040; loss of rain forests such as those in the Western Ghats by 2080; a rise in surface temperatures by 2.5 – 4.5 degrees Celsius by 2000; and a rise in sea temperatures by 6 degrees and a corresponding rise of sea levels by 4 – 6 meters by 2099 wiping out many costal cities and settlements. With 600,000 rural settlements in India, each using relatively little power but with great variance within the year, the costs of transmission and distribution from the power grid had made investments less likely, however decentralized renewable bio energy is not only cleaner energy, but ore likely to reach the target of India’s development efforts and the rural poor. By designing and developing bio energy partnership, India has the opportunities to meet global and local needs on low carbon technologies. Inclusive Growth, Bio energy, Low Carbon Technologies, Climate Change, Global Warming etc…. Author: Dr. Jagdish P. N. Giri, Founder and Executive Director: Aaditya Energy Foundation, Chennai, India, E-mail: jpngiri@aadityaenergyfoundation.com, Website: http://www.aadityaenergfoundation.org