Current Science

Suvedh Jaywant ¹, Tejal Kanitkar ²

Affiliations
1 School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400 088, IN
2 School of Natural Sciences and Engineering, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

The urban road transport sector in India currently faces the challenge of increased travel demand, increased use of private vehicles, traffic congestion as well as alarming levels of air pollution. The consequent public health problems, energy insecurity resulting from oil imports and pressure to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the sector have also emerged as serious challenges for the country. Many cities in the world are considering electric buses for public transport as one of the potential solutions to address these issues. This article analyses the feasibility of introducing electric buses in the public transport fleet by estimating the financial burden that such a shift may entail, and the corresponding emissions it would mitigate. It also provides a methodology and illustrates the same for a city in India. The results indicate that while electric buses may not be financially viable at present and require state support and subsidies for operation, careful planning and phased implementation would make them a promising option for the future. The cost analysis indicates that for the immediate future, the replacement of air-conditioned diesel buses with similar electric buses in the fleet makes better economic sense. However, it is necessary to determine how the increased cost of using electric buses is to be distributed across the population of the city to avoid disproportionately burdening one section, i.e. bus commuters, with the cost of cleaning up the city’s air.

Keywords

Air pollution, electric vehicles, greenhouse gas emissions, public transport, urban roads.

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Tejal Kanitkar ¹, Haritha Songola ²

Affiliations
1 Energy Environment Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
2 Tricontinental Institute of Social Research, New Delhi 110 016, IN

Abstract

We provide a methodology for assessing short-term mitigation targets for a region against long-term global goals of addressing climate change. We first estimate the per capita fair share of the remaining carbon budget for India from 2018 onwards. Potential long-term emissions trajectories between 2018 and 2100 compatible with this fair share are then constructed. These budget-compatible trajectories are then compared to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as well as results from five modelling studies for India. The methodology discussed here can be used to assess the adequacy of NDCs and also helps in rationalizing the process of target setting for climate action.

Keywords

Carbon budget, climate change, emissions trajectories, fair share, global temperature.

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