The dual goals of improving energy security and addressing climate change are not irreconcilable: achieve adequate, dependable and economical energy supply for India while decreasing emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Decreasing our dependence on import of coal and oil- our primary energy sources- by replacing them with scalable low carbon sources like renewable energy would enhance energy security.

Some urban problems can be solved parallel to reducing emissions from buildings and transport. Indian cities are groaning under problems of congestion, safety and pollution in transportation. Simply introducing efficiency standards and improving public transport by introducing bus lanes or rapid transit systems and funding this by increasing taxation of personal vehicles, would decrease the problems. Currently the major Indian public transport is the bus system, which is not developed enough to cater to the growing demand.

Similarly enforcing building efficiency standards and electrical appliance standards would decrease electricity consumption and ease the pressure on our grids. The demand for electrical appliances in India is nowhere near the developed world but with the market is set to explode with increasing urban wealth. All Indian cities already suffer from a power deficit and this is set to increase rapidly.

India faces the formidable challenges of inclusive growth and sustainable development. Nearly 500mn Indians have no access to an electric grid and connecting them to the grid is a major developmental challenge being tackled by the government. Promoting decentralized electricity through renewable energy in the far flung rural areas would have no emissions and also jumpstart the local economies.

Thus moving to a low emissions economy need not necessarily be expensive.