Focusing India's energy transformation on inclusivity and accessibility is essential.

In a significant revelation, it has been found that transportation and industrial emissions associated with household consumption alone contributed almost twice as much to ambient PM2.5 concentrations as direct emissions from biomass cook stoves in 2021. This underscores the urgent need for policies that address these emissions, particularly in urban centres where significant benefits can be reaped from a reduction in transportation emissions.

The Ashoka Centre for a People-Centric Energy Transition (ACPET), based at Ashoka University, is spearheading research in this regard. Their Transmine Project, for instance, focuses on the impact of mine closure on local communities in Rajhara, Jharkhand. The project, conducted by the European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER), is evaluating interventions such as water repurposing of open-cast mines and the formation of a Farmer Produced Organisation in the region.

India's coal-producing regions, however, may bear the health damages of meeting the EV energy needs of urban centres. Household burning of solid fuels and kerosene for cooking, heating, and lighting caused the premature death of approximately 2.3 million people in India in 2019. To address this, initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme have been implemented, leading to a 15% increase in liquified petroleum gas use from 2016 to 2019.

However, research on the health impacts of India's energy transition efforts is relatively scarce and mainly produced by non-Indian institutions. There is a pressing need to develop research and policy using community-led approaches and research tools such as participatory rural appraisal. Existing coal mine closure legislation pays extensive attention to technical outcomes, but lacks focus on socio-economic and cultural factors.

Moreover, exploring IDEA concerns across socio-economic groups and regions in coal transition research is uncommon in India. Clean cooking initiatives only have a modest impact on ambient air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Successful interventions like increased electrification of transport could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) between 2020 and 2070.

As India announced a net-zero emissions goal for the year 2070 in 2021, it is crucial to ensure that this transition is just and equitable. Measuring the socio-economic impacts of India's energy transition, particularly following coal mine closure, remains under-investigated. Such collaborations can focus on producing data, policies, and proofs of concept that are region, community, and demographic-specific.

In conclusion, a just energy transition in India requires a shift in focus from technical outcomes to socio-economic and cultural factors. Research and policy grounded in an inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) framework are needed to ensure that all communities and regions benefit from India's energy transition.

This article was originally published under Creative Commons by 360infoTM.

Dr Aishwarya Ramachandran, Animesh Ghosh, and Vaibhav Chowdhary are associated with the Ashoka Centre for a People-Centric Energy Transition (ACPET), Ashoka University.

From 1990 to 2016, there was a 23.6% reduction in household air pollution stemming from solid fuel use. Piped natural gas connections are expected to grow tenfold to 12.5 crore by 2032. Relatively little domestic research links long-term PM2.5 exposure to mortality. Coal mining provides employment opportunities, contributes to local economies, and spurs infrastructure development. A dearth of information on how India's energy transition policies and pathways will differentially impact communities and regions remains a critical barrier to a just transition.

Focusing India's energy transformation on inclusivity and accessibility is essential.