India
In India, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) develops innovative finance and policy solutions that support credible, equitable green growth and transition plans. Our work helps ensure that the Government of India, Development Finance Institutions, the private sector, and the overall Indian economy reach ambitious net-zero and sustainability goals. This work includes green finance, sustainable finance, renewable energy, and just energy transition.
Our work focuses on three thematic areas: enabling capital through managing funds and creating blended finance and risk management frameworks; promoting green and sustainable finance initiatives through monitoring finance flows and evaluating environmental impacts; and enabling a just transition through transforming electricity systems, reducing emissions, and creating a fair framework.
Among other research, analysis, and financial innovation efforts, we manage: the India window of the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, an incubator for innovative climate finance instruments; the India Clean Energy Finance initiative, a program to mobilize debt financing for distributed solar energy; the India Pure Finance Facility, an initiative for promoting productive applications of Renewable Energy; and the India Center for Sustainable Finance, a knowledge and networking hub designed to accelerate India’s financial sector towards a more sustainable future.
Our expertise includes renewable energy, climate finance, sustainable transportation, industrial decarbonization, just transition, and greening the financial sector. Dhruba Purkayastha leads the team.
Featured work
Publication
Financing Adaptation in India
India faces heightened vulnerability to climate change repercussions, given its diverse geography and socio-economic conditions. This report assesses India’s adaptation approach, scrutinizes the policy landscape, evaluates state-level investment needs, and explores avenues to bridge funding gaps through public and private finance.
Publication
Policy Brief: Policies and Enabling Environment to Drive Private Investments for Industrial Decarbonization in India
This brief aims to support policymakers in making informed decisions and prioritize actions that can drive climate-aligned private investments to bridge the financing gap for low-carbon development of industries in India.
Blog
Vulnerability of Indian States to Energy Transition
Academics, think-tanks and policy-makers to date have focused on devising policy interventions required for just transitions. CPI is focusing on developing ‘Finance’ as the transition assistance (TA) tool. This blog introduces “Vulnerability Assessment” as a stepping stone to identify regions/states which would require this assistance.
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Latest work
Publication
Discussion Paper: Financing Industrial Decarbonization - Challenges and Solutions for India’s Iron and Steel Sector
The industrial sector, a vital driver of economic growth in emerging economies, accounts for a significant portion of carbon emissions, with India’s industrial activity contributing nearly 30% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving global climate goals, including India’s net-zero target by 2070, necessitates substantial investment in low-carbon technologies and infrastructure. However, challenges such as complex production processes, existing investments in carbon-intensive assets, and competitive markets hinder decarbonization efforts. CPI’s research underscores the need for increased global finance and proposes policy interventions to promote climate-aligned investment, particularly in high-emission sectors like iron and steel.
Blog
Transforming India's Climate Finance through Sector-Specific Financial Institutions
India’s pursuit of a sustainable, low-carbon future amidst rapid population growth and economic expansion requires significant climate finance. To achieve ambitious targets, including 50% renewable energy by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2070, innovative financial solutions are imperative.
Blog
Developing a Legal and Regulatory Framework for Low Carbon Transition of Indian economy on the path to Net Zero
While India has ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and net-zero targets, it lacks a legal framework to achieve economy-wide net-zero targets. Despite policies like the National Action Plan for Climate Change, India lacks formal climate legislation. Recent sectoral laws promote renewable energy but lack a comprehensive focus on emission reduction. To address this, a net-zero bill has been introduced in the Indian parliament. A potential solution involves consolidating existing laws under a comprehensive Climate/Environment Act and redefining institutions to align with low-carbon objectives.
Publication
The Energy Transition Dialogues Communique
This communique serves to address the pressing challenges in accessing financing for clean energy and endeavors to pave the way for an enabling mechanism that will galvanize the flow of capital into the clean energy sector.
Publication
Just Energy Transition: Economic Implications for Jharkhand
As part of CPI’s Facilitating Finance for a Just Transition initiative, this report examines the annual financial implications of energy transition for stakeholders in the state of Jharkhand, India. The report builds on previous work findings that Jharkhand is among the mineral rich states likely to face the most adverse short-term impacts of an energy transition.
Publication
Powering India’s Future: Towards a People-Positive Energy Transition
“Transition Finance: Supporting India’s Net-Zero Goals” delineates the importance of transition finance and explores innovative financial solutions that can facilitate India’s ambitious journey towards net-zero.
