Low carbon development strategy for Northeast

India's Long-Term Low Carbon Development Strategy released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Monday has laid down the roadmap for the country's development while simultaneously pursuing the declared goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The north-eastern region bridging development gaps with advanced regions at a faster pace will be crucial for the country to stay the course. Some of the key features of the strategy document include the transition from fossil fuel in a just, smooth and sustainable manner, increased use of biofuels, ethanol blending in petrol, sustainable and climate-resilient urban development and improved energy efficiency. The approach outlined in the pathway to low carbon transition emphasizes that India has contributed little to global warming, its historical contribution to cumulative global greenhouse gas emissions being minuscule. Despite having a share of 17% of the world's population, it has significant energy needs for development, and it is committed to pursuing low-carbon strategies for development and is actively pursuing them, as per national circumstances the country needs to build climate resilience. The drive to increase electric vehicle penetration, increased the use of green hydrogen fuel and ensure ethanol blending to reach 20% by 2050 and a strong modal shift to public transport for passenger and freight are expected to drive the low carbon development of the transport sector as envisaged in the strategy are prudent approach but mobilising resources to meet the deadlines will be a huge challenge. It estimates that 20% ethanol blending in petrol will result in yearly savings of about Rs 30,000 crore which can be utilized for electric mobility and enhancing renewable energy generation. The Northeast getting a higher share of the resources will be critical to ensure that the region is not left behind in the transition towards a low-carbon development regime. Inland water transport is a low-carbon and energy-efficient transport mode, faster development of underutilized waterways along the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers as well as their tributaries can accelerate the pace of development in the region in conformity with the strategy. The document highlights that given India's current growth and transport sector trends, the on-road freight segment is likely to be a significant driver of transport emissions in the long term in a business-as-usual scenario. Indian Railways becoming a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030 which will lead to reducing 60 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually will be a crucial deadline. India's road transport sector accounts for about 87% of passenger traffic and 60% of freight. The operative cost of waterways is 30% less than roadways and 60% less than railways, inland water transport is more sustainable but India's share of waterway cargo transport being only 2%, there is ample scope for harnessing the waterways for low-carbon and energy-efficient development in the transport sector. Road transport has been pushed in the region through the construction of highways while railway expansion has not achieved the desired pace. This, however, brings an opportunity to prioritise the development of waterways in transport development to meet strategic goals. The initiatives, for the region, however, need to be on a much larger scale and beyond experimental cruise services which entail huge investment for making the waterways navigable around the year, dovetailing improvement in waterways with multimodal logistics. The strategy harps on the need for future urban development to be driven by smart city initiatives, and integrated planning of cities but the poor performance of states in the region compared to states in another region in implementing smart city projects points towards the widening gap. Proper and scientific solid and liquid waste management play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emission and converting waste to energy but mounting heaps of untreated garbage in landfills in Guwahati and other cities as well as various towns in the region present the real challenges that need to be overcome to implement India's low-term carbon development strategy. With 23.75% of the total forest cover of the country, the northeast region is a huge carbon sink and therefore, conservation of forest resources in the region will help the states to seek more shares of the resources allocated for low-carbon development needs of the country. This also brings the development planning for the region into the centre stage of policy discourse and raises a larger debate about balancing investment for infrastructure projects with forest conservation and the livelihoods of people. Improving connectivity in the landlocked region is central to faster development but connectivity projects must not lead to massive diversion of forest in the region so that advantage it enjoys by playing a crucial role in climate change mitigation is not lost. According to the strategy document, India has pledged a commitment of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of additional carbon sequestration in forest and tree cover by 2030 which explains the role cut out for the region with less than 50 years of the window of opportunities kept open.