India’s lower house of parliament passed a law that will enforce increased use of electricity generated from renewable sourcesforcing industrial polluters to pay a price for the carbon they emit.
The bill approved Tuesday establishes minimum requirements for the use of renewable energy for businesses and residential buildings, penalize companies that do not comply.
The legislation, which will now be voted on in the upper house of parliament, also gives clean energy users carbon savings certificates that can be sold or traded, and sets a new energy efficiency standard for homes, which use 24% of India’s electricity. .
The bill is “a positive step” towards India’s climate goals, said Madhura Joshi, India’s energy transitions lead at E3G, a “group of experts” on climate change.
“The share of clean energy sources that power India’s industries and households will definitely increase as a result of this project”, said.
Last week, India pledged to reduce emissions caused by by economic activities by 45% by 2030compared to 2005 levels.
The country also plans to halve the share of fossil fuels in power generation and launch a program that encourages people to make green lifestyle changes.
“Each unit of energy saved or conserved is critical to reducing emissions,” said Bharath Jairaj, who heads the World Resources Institute’s India energy program.
Including large residential buildings in building codes that require energy conservation is one of the highlights of the law and the reduction in emissions, he said.
Scientists say that the reduction of greenhouse gases is essential to limit the effects of climate change, which has already increased temperatures and the incidence of flooding in India.
This bill is also the first time that the Indian government has proposed a carbon trading system. Unlike other parts of the world, the so-called carbon market is still a nascent idea in Indiasaid Bharat Khairaj.
But “it should become an important tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in India,” he added.
Source: Observadora
