Advancing Climate Mitigation in India

To foster synergies and collaboration, the IKI Interface project co-hosted the first thematic workshop for the IKI India portfolio.

In December 2024, the first IKI India Thematic Workshop brought together 41 participants from 13 IKI India projects in Delhi, including representatives from partner organisations. Jointly co-hosted with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the workshop aimed to create an understanding of India’s climate actions towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with the country’s long-term Net-Zero target. To understand this, the workshop explored in-depth India’s climate policies and measures to advance climate mitigation efforts across emissions-intensive sectors and industries. 

In her opening remarks, Barbara Schäfer, Deputy Head of Division International Climate Initiative at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), shared valuable insights on IKI priorities in India, reflecting upon the major outcomes of COP29. She deliberated on the funding opportunities the International Climate Initiative provided at the beginning of 2024 - including IKI Medium Grants, Small Grants and the IKI Thematic Call launched at COP29 in Baku, which focuses on ambitious and innovative project ideas relating to climate action and biodiversity in developing countries and emerging economies.  

In his expert presentation, Shubhashis Dey, Executive Director at Solutions for Sustainable Living, highlighted the importance of the UN Climate Change Conference and provided insights on key COP results and outcomes.

Exploring ambitious measures to mitigate climate change

Following the opening remarks and expert address, the workshop proceeded with interactive thematic discussions, which took place in five working groups, each facilitated by an expert moderator. Moderated by the IKI Interface project, the workshop discussions highlighted India’s existing climate mitigation measures and policy frameworks, focusing on key sectors like agriculture, energy, industry, transportation and urban development. 

The groups discussed in detail sector-specific challenges, implementation gaps as well as opportunities and action-oriented solutions with the objective of scaling up and strengthening mitigation efforts. Suggestions centred around decarbonisation strategies, institutional and financing mechanisms, and technical capacity building initiatives to aid India's transition to climate-friendly low-carbon development.

Conclusion

Overall, the workshop discussions fostered rich exchanges and synergies between IKI projects in India with a strong commitment to collaborative climate action. The workshop reinforced private-public sector partnerships and innovative approaches to advance climate mitigation across various sectors, aligned with India’s NDCs and Net-Zero target.