India is at the cusp of two significant transformations.

The first is its economic transformation. India will soon be the most populous country in the world – and will be home to one of the youngest populations in the world. The country is also home to a large population that lives below the poverty line. A rapid and equitable economic growth will be critical to meet the growth and lifestyle aspirations of 1.4 billion people. The manufacturing sector will need to grow to supplement the impressive services sector economy and cater to the large population living off the agrarian economy.

The second is its green transformation. India’s per capita energy use today is lower than most nations, its use of materials such as iron is still modest, and its manufacturing sector is still relatively underdeveloped.

Unlike developed nations with mature greenhouse gas (GHG) infrastructure, India is yet to build a lot of its GHG inventory. However, as India grows, so will its GHG footprint. While India’s growth will need to factor in higher consumption levels across its population, it has a unique opportunity to leapfrog this journey through low/no emissions technologies.

In this paper, we build the case for why India’s green transformation is an attractive, vital and mandatory component of its overall economic transformation. A Green New Deal for India will necessarily implicate the five sectors that contribute to almost all its GHG emissions: Pillar 1 – Energy: The energy sector accounts for ~40% of India’s GHG emissions, with coal being the dominant source of total fossil CO2 emissions. Decarbonizing the energy sector is a foundational priority for India’s energy sector and will require a three-pronged approach: replace fossil fuels with renewables; reduce fossil CO2 emissions from legacy infrastructure through enhanced efficiencies; and remove unavoidable carbon emissions through carbon sequestration.