India’s patchy industrial climate strategy

Source: The post “India’s patchy industrial climate strategy” has been created based on “India’s patchy industrial climate strategy”, published in “Indian Express” on 23rd June 2026.

UPSC Syllabus: GS-3-Environment

Context: India has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070 and has identified industrial decarbonisation as a key component of its climate strategy. However, rapid industrial growth and rising energy demand have created significant challenges for reducing emissions from the industrial sector.

Challenges in Industrial Climate Mitigation

1. High Contribution of Industry to Emissions: The industrial sector contributes significantly to India’s carbon footprint. Fuel combustion in manufacturing industries accounts for about 13% of total emissions, while industrial processes and product use contribute around 9% of total emissions.
2. Rising Industrial Energy Demand: Expanding manufacturing activities and increasing population-driven consumption are leading to a continuous rise in industrial energy demand and emissions.
3. Limited Coverage of Existing Policies: Existing mechanisms such as the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme and the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) mainly target selected energy-intensive industries and do not comprehensively cover all industrial emissions.
4. Focus on Traditional Heavy Industries: Current policies primarily address sectors such as cement, steel, fertilisers, refineries, and textiles, while several other industrial sources remain outside the direct mitigation framework.
5. Large Share of ‘Non-Specific Industries’: A substantial portion of industrial emissions is classified under the broad category of “non-specific industries,” making it difficult to identify major emission sources and formulate targeted interventions.
6. Lack of Detailed Industrial Classification: The absence of clear sub-sectoral emission data creates challenges in measuring emissions accurately and designing sector-specific decarbonisation strategies.
7. Administrative and Regulatory Gaps: Industrial emissions management remains an administrative grey area because many emitting sectors are not explicitly covered by existing regulatory mechanisms.

Measures for Effective Industrial Decarbonisation

1. Develop a Comprehensive Industrial Emissions Database: India should establish detailed sector-wise and sub-sector-wise emissions inventories to accurately identify major emission sources.
2. Improve Industrial Classification: The broad category of “non-specific industries” should be disaggregated to enable targeted policy interventions and monitoring.
3. Expand Policy Coverage: Existing schemes such as PAT and CCTS should be expanded to cover a wider range of industrial sectors and emission sources.
4. Strengthen Monitoring and Transparency: Transparent climate reporting should be enhanced to provide policymakers with reliable information for evidence-based decision-making.
5. Adopt Sector-Specific Decarbonisation Strategies: Tailored mitigation plans should be developed for different industries based on their emission profiles and technological requirements.
6. Promote Energy Efficiency and Clean Technologies: Industries should be encouraged to adopt energy-efficient technologies, cleaner production methods, and low-carbon energy sources.
7. Ensure Continuous Policy Evaluation: Regular assessment of industrial decarbonisation measures should be undertaken to identify gaps and implement corrective actions.

Conclusion: Achieving India’s net-zero target requires a transparent, comprehensive, and sector-specific industrial decarbonisation framework. Accurate identification of emission sources, expanded policy coverage, and improved climate governance will be essential for balancing industrial growth with environmental sustainability.

Question: India’s industrial decarbonisation strategy remains fragmented despite ambitious net-zero targets. Examine the challenges in industrial climate mitigation and suggest measures for an effective industrial decarbonisation framework.

Source: The Hindu