Mathur Ritika Passi

NINE
Meeting India’s
Energy Needs Sustainably
ANIRUDDH MOHAN, JUNIOR FELLOW, ORF
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all
7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern
energy services
7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the
global energy mix
7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency
7.a By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to
clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy,
energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology,
and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy
technology
7.b By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for
supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in
developing countries, in particular least developed countries and
small island developing States
T
he seventh goal of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) is to
“ensure access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable and modern energy for
all.” 1 Targets under SDG 7 include
universal access to energy, a substantial
increase of renewable energy in the global
energy mix, a doubling in the global rate of
improvement in energy efficiency, and the
enhancement of international cooperation
to facilitate clean energy research, upgradation
of technology and investments into
energy efficiency and infrastructure. 2
The focus on energy access and clean
energy solutions is a new thrust of
the global developmental agenda. The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
had no energy-specific goal, although
MDG 7 was to “ensure environmental
sustainability” and focused on protecting
natural resources, reducing biodiversity loss,
and increasing access to basic sanitation
and drinking water facilities. The focus on
sustainability in the context of energy use
in the 2015 to 2030 developmental agenda
requires innovative policy formulation and
new frameworks to achieve developmental
aims. This is because while alleviating
poverty and improving the standard of
living for the majority of the world’s poor
remains the focus of the SDGs, just as the
MDGs before them, the objective now is to
balance this with an imperative to protect
the environment and safeguard resources for
future generations.
India’s energy poverty is a massive challenge.
The success of the country’s developmental
agenda is critical for access to lifeline energy.
India is the world’s fourth largest energy
consumer and the world’s third largest carbon
emitter. Energy demand in India is likely
to increase substantially in the coming years
as processes of development and poverty alleviation
take place. At the same time, challenges
associated with climate change and
global warming are increasing the pressure
on India to reduce its carbon footprint and
expand the share of clean energy sources in
its energy supply. Globally, the mandate to
ensure energy access for all must be achieved
while reducing the carbon footprint caused
by burning fossil fuels and enabling a shift to
low-carbon sources of energy.