Publications

Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities: A Policy Perspective

Policy brief
| October 9, 2014

Urban India has grown at an unprecedented rate in the last two decades. The level of urbanisation increased from 25 per cent in 1991 to 31 per cent in 2011 with a total urban population of 377 million in 2011. A conservative estimate of India's population growth shows that it is expected to reach about 1.5 billion by 2031, of which the urban population is estimated to be about 600 million, i.e., about 40 per cent1.

Tax Regime for Improved Cookstoves and Its Implications

Policy brief
| September 14, 2014

Around 160 million households in India rely on traditional biomass - firewood, cattle dung, and crop residues as cooking fuel. When biomass is burnt in traditional inefficient cookstoves it emits smoke that has significant health and climate impacts resulting in 10 lakh premature deaths per year. Efforts to replace inefficient traditional cookstoves with cleaner, more efficient improved biomass cookstoves have been in process across the country for several years now, primarily driven by grassroots institutions and government technical institutes.

Advancement of Fuel Quality and Vehicle Emissions Norms to Improve Urban Air Quality in India

Policy brief
| September 14, 2014

The health impacts of the deteriorating ambient air quality in urban cities worldwide are of serious concern. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one of the top ten causes of death is attributed to air pollution (WHO, 2010); diesel engine exhaust, for instance has been linked with increased lung cancer risk (WHO, 2012). Motor vehicles are one of the major sources contributing to air pollution at local, regional and global scale. India, which has the largest number of megacities in the world, is facing serious air quality problems in its urban areas.

Proliferation of Cars in Indian Cities: Let Us Not Ape the West

Policy brief
| July 3, 2014

India currently has about 15 million cars, which is equivalent to 13 cars per 1,000 population. While this by itself is not high, it has to be noted that it is a national average and some cities like Delhi, Chennai, and Coimbatore have more than 100 cars per 1,000 population. Different estimates show that the number of cars in India will increase to about 35 cars per 1,000 population by 2025. This would amount to about 45-60 million cars on our roads and in some cities more than 300 cars per 1,000 population.

Climate Proofing Indian Cities: A Policy Perspective

Policy brief
| March 23, 2014

The impact of climate change on cities is of particular concern due to high concentrations of population and infrastructure in these areas. Depending upon their geographical location and climatic conditions, the climate hazards may range from increased and frequent flooding and water logging to heat and cold waves, sea-level rise, and storm surges. In this context, the policy brief outlines emerging opportunities for Indian cities to foster climate resilient development and recommends for the formulation of a specific new policy pertaining to urban climate resilience in India.

India and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Policy brief
| November 12, 2013

This Policy Brief, based on research on current international developments and consultations with policy-makers and other stakeholders, seeks to make suggestions on how India should engage with the design of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure an alignment of its own Plan goals with the SDGs wherever possible to establish a greater synergy and efficiency in the achievements of these goals. SDGs was one of the main outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), popularly known as the Rio+20, convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012.

Engagement with Sustainability Concerns in Public Procurement in India: Why and How

Policy brief
| August 24, 2013

A major part of the Indian GDP is spent on public procurement. Owing to large spending on procurement, Indian public sector can push towards a process of sustainable production and consumption through sustainable public procurement. Once such a process is implemented with specific contexts, it can create social, economic and environmental benefits. With this background, the policy brief explores why there is a need to promote sustainable public procurement within India.

Shale Gas in India: Look Before You Leap

Policy brief
| June 27, 2013

The policy brief explains why the resources that have made the extraction and availability of shale gas in the US a success, are not available to India. Apart from extraction technology, land and other factors, the single biggest handicap is the very large quantity of water that is required to "frack" the underground rocks that contain the gas. India is a water-stressed country, and is fast approaching water scarcity conditions. India cannot further endanger a rapidly depleting resource on which all life depends.

Petroleum Product Pricing Reforms in India: Are We on the Right Track?

Policy brief
| March 5, 2013

The path to petroleum product pricing reforms in India has been full of undulations. Even though Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) was dismantled during 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2002, the government continued to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel, Public Distribution System (PDS) kerosene, and domestic LPG, except for over a year, when oil marketing companies (OMCs) revised the consumer prices of petrol and diesel in line with the international prices. In June 2010, petrol pricing was deregulated, but government control continued to an extent.

Enhancing water-use efficiency of thermal power plants in India: need for mandatory water audits

Policy brief
| December 24, 2012

This policy brief discusses the challenges of water availability and opportunity to improve the water use efficiency in industries specially the thermal power plants. It presents TERI’s experience from comprehensive water audits conducted for thermal power plants in India. The findings indicate that there is a significant scope for saving water in the waste water discharge, cooling towers, ash handling systems, and the township water supply.