India is currently the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses globally. It is expected to become the world’s most populous country by 2030. India’s diverse climate zones, ecosystems, and topography contribute to variably distributed climate risks across the country. Rising temperatures and more frequent and intense droughts have caused crop yield declines and failures, disrupting the livelihoods and food security of vulnerable communities. India’s most important river systems are fed by Himalayan glaciers that are threatened by climbing temperatures, severely impacting water availability. Extreme weather events have increased the risk of heat-related threats to human health. Dependence on fossil-fuel imports has impacted the country's energy security and economic growth. Forest degradation is leading to increasing greenhouse gas emissions and loss of livelihoods.

Government of India Climate Priorities

India has demonstrated a sustained commitment to combating climate change, and is one of the few parties to the Paris Agreement to have adopted emissions reduction targets that are compatible with a two- degree global warming scenario. Top goals under India’s Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement include:

• Expand the power sector’s reliance on non-fossil fuels to 40 percent by 2030;
• Reduce emissions intensity of GDP by one-third over the 2005 baseline;
• Create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2 through additional forest and tree cover by 2030;
• Invest in vulnerable sectors such as agriculture and water in key regions; and
• Address resource gaps by mobilizing domestic and international resources to implement climate mitigation and adaptation actions.

USAID’s Climate Change Program: Objectives and Results

USAID supports the Government of India’s (GoI) development and climate priorities through a series of programs and partnerships across climate adaptation, clean energy, sustainable landscapes, and disaster risk reduction.

Adaptation

In partnership with the GoI, the private sector, and national and international agriculture research organizations, USAID is implementing resilience-building activities with increased focus on vulnerable communities in ecologically-sensitive, hazard-prone regions across India. USAID also partners with GoI to support the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to foster disaster and climate-resilient infrastructure globally.

Renewable Energy

USAID is working with the GoI to help achieve its goal of shifting the power sector to 40 percent non- fossil sources by 2030, and to meet the national 175 gigawatt renewable energy deployment target by 2022. In partnership with the national government, USAID accelerates large-scale and distributed renewable energy deployment, grid flexibility for large-scale renewable energy integration, the transition away from coal, off-grid energy access through renewables, and energy efficiency in buildings, industries, and appliances. USAID supports regional energy market integration, advances innovative energy solutions and systems, and modernizes utilities.

Natural Climate Solutions

USAID partners with civil society organizations and India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to support the goal of enhancing carbon sinks through improved forest management, afforestation, and forest restoration. USAID programs strengthen forest and natural resource management for increased carbon sequestration, long-term water security, and improved livelihoods. USAID programs support the development of market-based models for restoring degraded forest lands to improve ecosystem services.

Key Results

USAID partners with civil society organizations and India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change to support the goal of enhancing carbon sinks through improved forest management, afforestation, and forest restoration. USAID programs strengthen forest and natural resource management for increased carbon sequestration, long-term water security, and improved livelihoods. USAID programs support the development of market-based models for restoring degraded forest lands to improve ecosystem services.

Clean Energy Results

Since 2016, USAID has helped mobilize $1.1 billion of private sector investments, installed and integrated about 6,000 megawatts of clean energy, and improved energy access for five million people. USAID supports India’s efforts on-grid integration of large-scale renewables, and has helped deploy advanced energy efficiency technologies. USAID assistance has joined with India to:

• Develop a national energy-conservation building code and increased the energy efficiency of over 10,000 buildings;
• Enable a $28 billion market for green bonds;
• Support India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission to establish a real-time power market to support variable renewable energy;
• Promote the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies by Indian Railways, one of India’s largest consumers; and
• Launch the world’s first emissions trading scheme for fine particulate matter.