Resource Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation
 

At the COP 26 world leaders summit in Glasgow, India's Prime Minister made a critical pitch for climate action, announcing the country's goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. In essence, net-zero implies the use of mechanisms that would offset a country's carbon emissions into the atmosphere by absorbing an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. India has the potential to become a leader not only because it is taking action, but also because it is developing technology, identifying low-cost solutions to adaptation issues, and so on. The net-zero commitment is part of the Panchamrit, or "five elixirs," strategy. Four out of five of these so-called elixirs are short-term goals that would pave the way for achieving a net-zero emissions target by 2070.

The immediate goals are:
• Taking India’s non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030;
• Fulfilling 50% of India’s energy requirements via renewable energy by 2030;
• Reducing CO₂ emissions by 1 billion tons by 2030; and
• Bringing down the carbon intensity of India’s economy by more than 45% by 2030.

In addition to this net-zero commitment, India objected to a provision in the final draught of what is now the Glasgow Climate Pact referring to the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and coal. India proposed an amendment to use the phrase "phase down" instead of "phase out" coal power, which was supported by a few other developing countries, including China, Iran, and Cuba. These targets will be even more important as the global economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the IEA's Global Energy Review 2021, post-pandemic recovery could result in a 5% increase in carbon emissions to 33 billion tonnes in 2021, the single-largest increase in emissions since the economic recovery from the Great Recession. For India, the projections are difficult to achieve considering the finances and capacities available to the countries. Inventing new technologies to address mitigation needs is not easy and will be economically not viable considering the present market conditions. What is required at this time is a modification of existing technologies and production systems in the most cost-effective way as they provide a greater rate of acceptance among the industries.

Almost all the countries and the global world have looked exclusively at emissions during all negotiations. However, along with climate, the resource aspect of materials needs to be looked into as well. There is a strong link between resource efficiency or dematerialization and climate change mitigation. Industries when looking at mitigation focus either on detoxification and pollution reduction or dematerialization and resource productivity. However, Barnett (2012), in his paper “Link between climate change mitigation and resource efficiency: A UK case study”, suggests how a combined outlook would help in achieving challenging emission targets in a more efficient way. It is important that climate change mitigation in developing countries looks at resource efficiency as an important tool.

With India's current growth trajectory, we are rapidly approaching a future with new climate realities and resource scarcity. While the temperature is expected to rise to near 1.5°C, India faces a resource-constrained future. At the current rate of growth, India's coal reserves are expected to last 100 years. India's coal consumption will rise at 3.9 % to 1.18 billion tonnes in 2024, owing to a 7.4 % GDP growth rate between 2022 and 2024, which will be fuelled in part by coal. (Coal Report, IEA, 2021)

To create a sustainable world for the next generation, a radical change in the way we approach sustainability in lifestyles is required. Blue-Sky Innovations are revolutionary innovations that transform industries by looking at processes and our development pathways in a new light. They improve the economy’s efficiency considerably by enabling it to produce more with the same or fewer resources. Some of the Blue-Sky Innovations that the Development Alternatives Group has been working on are as follows:

• The Eco-Kiln technology is a firing process for producing burnt clay bricks. It is one of the world’s most energy-efficient processes for red brick production. The environmental emissions are reduced by 70% compared to the traditional Bulls Trench Kiln technology followed in India.

• Low Carbon Cement: To address the twin issues of CO₂ emissions and saving natural resources, a new cement blend called Low Carbon Cement or Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC³) has been developed. Life Cycle Analysis reveals that LC³ production can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 30% and save up to 50% limestone as compared to conventional cement.

It is expected that these technologies will bring in a radical change in the way that industries operate creating low carbon pathways for our country. ■

Dr. Soumen Maity
smaity@devalt.org