India aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2070 – a demanding task given  the country’s ambitious sustainable development objectives. Road transport  currently accounts for a relatively small share in national CO2 emissions, but as  India seeks to satisfy the mobility needs of its growing, urbanising and rapidly  developing population, energy demand and CO2 emissions from the sector could  double by 2050, locking in emissions and putting at risk the achievement of the  long-term climate goal. 

This report, the product of a collaborate effort between the International Energy  Agency (IEA) and India’s public think tank NITI Aayog, provides a detailed picture  on how CO2 emissions from road transport are likely to grow under existing  policies and compares these projections with a pathway that could bring the sector  on track with the 2070 goal. It discusses various policy options that the country  could assess if it is to accelerate the shift to sustainable road transport, focussing  on the benefits that energy efficiency improvements and a switch to cleaner  energy sources can bring. The report also quantifies the co-benefits a rapid  decarbonisation of road transport can bring in terms of tackling air pollution – one  of India’s most pressing environmental challenges.