This talk by Montek Singh Ahluwalia focused on the policies we will need to adopt to achieve reduction of India’s carbon emissions to Net Zero by 2070. This will not be easy because thus far, our emissions have been rising steadily. We have to get them to peak and then bring it down. There is no single magic bullet solution to achieve this. Action will be needed in several sectors and the responsibility for implementing the necessary policies is distributed across the Central government, the State government and even the Municipalities.

The main sectors are Power, Transport and Industry sector. The scope for action in each will be discussed, indicating what has to be done by the Centre and by the States. Much of the success, in this effort, depends upon how technology evolves. This is inherently uncertain but since the whole world will be working towards such technological breakthroughs, there is reason to be hopeful. The transformation envisaged will require additional investment, some from the private sector and some from the public sector. The possibilities for each component will be touched upon in the presentation.

The 45-50 minutes talk was followed by a discussion with Sameer Sisodia and a Q&A with the audience.

In collaboration with: Bangalore International Centre

Speakers:

Montek Singh Ahluwalia

Montek Singh Ahluwalia is a Distinguished Fellow at CSEP and has been a notable figure in Indian economic reforms from the early 1980s onwards. He has previously served as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, Finance Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, and as the first director of the Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF. He has written extensively on various aspects of development economics and is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award for public service. He is the author of Backstage: The Story Behind India’s High Growth Years (2020).

Sameer Shisodia

Sameer Shisodia heads the Rainmatter Foundation developing projects, and building funding and investments programs, among many other things. He left his long career in the tech industry a decade ago and partly moved to Coorg to experiment with sustainable farming, farm collectives, and his personal passion, rejuvenating soil and forests.

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.