Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

NITI Aayog, WRI launch ‘Forum for Decarbonizing Transport’ in India

August 26, 2021

NITI Aayog and World Resources Institute(WRI), India, jointly launched the ‘Forum for Decarbonizing Transport’ in India as part of the NDC-Transport Initiative for Asia (NDC-TIA) project. The launch was held virtually and opened by NITI Aayog CEO Mr. Amitabh Kant. The project aims at bringing down the peak level of GHG emissions (transport sector) in Asia (in line with a well below 2-degree pathway), resulting in problems like congestion and air pollution.

India has a massive and diverse transport sector, which is also the third most CO2 emitting sector. According to IEA, 2020; Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, 2018 data, road transport contributes to more than 90 percent of the total carbon emissions. Through various policy measures and initiatives, the government of India is continuously working towards the decarbonisation of road transport, with a major focus on the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country. NITI Aayog has been at the helm of the promotion of EVs and sustainable mobility through the national mission on transformative mobility and battery storage.

However, to leverage and streamline EVs across the country, there is a need is to create a favourable ecosystem for different stakeholders. These stakeholders include central/state governments, state-designated agencies, financial institutions, businesses, OEMs, research and technical institutes, private bodies and think tanks. A coordinated effort between these stakeholders will help enable investment, encourage adoption, and ensure fair operation in the industry.

In his keynote address, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “The stakeholder forum on transport decarbonisation is a defining milestone for the electric mobility ecosystem in the country. It will bring together CEOs, researchers, academics, multilateral agencies, financial institutions as well as the Central and state government on a common platform. This will help in the development of innovative business models.

Dr O P Agarwal, CEO, WRI India, said, “India has a great opportunity to decarbonize its urban transport sector. Promotion of walking, cycling and public transport coupled with the electrification of motor vehicles should be the right strategy for the country.” Explaining the need of the stakeholder forum in decarbonising Transport, Mr. Amit Bhatt, Executive Director (Integrated Transport), WRI India said, “Reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector will require actions on multiple fronts.

The NDC Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA 2020-2023) is a joint programme of seven organisations that will engage China, India, and Vietnam in promoting a comprehensive approach to decarbonizing transport in their respective countries. The project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) support the initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. NITI Aayog is the implementing partner for the India component of the project.