TERI releases 29th edition of TEDDY

Developing countries need to develop additional capabilities to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Means of implementation is important for mobilization of resources from various sources and for effective use of financing to promote sustainable development. These were some of the views expressed by eminent experts from the Government, research organizations and NGOs at a workshop ‘Energy and Environment in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals in India’. The workshop assumes significance as SDGs will be finalized and officially adopted at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. The workshop is an output of a project on energy and environment under the DFID-TERI Partnership for Clean Energy Access and Improved Policies for Sustainable Development, and was organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

The occasion also marked the release of the 29^th edition of TEDDY 2014/15. TEDDY (TERI Energy & Environment Data Diary and Yearbook) is an annual publication brought out by TERI since 1986, which presents state of the art information on energy supply, energy demand and environment. Each edition of TEDDY contains India’s commercial energy balances that provide comprehensive information on energy flows within different sectors in the economy. TEDDY is a well referenced document and is often cited in government policy documents and scholarly articles. In the latest edition of TEDDY, a chapter on sustainable development goals, and another on sustainable energy has been included.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Leena Srivastava, Acting Director-General, TERI, said: “SDGs are now only focusing on developing countries, but are universal and recognize the roles of the developed countries. There is today recognition that developed nations should reduce their consumption patterns and improve their overall production efficiency. SDGs must be built on social, economic and growth pillars, and each goal is critically important for both ecological growth and social stability. We are trying to grapple on how to articulate these goals and bridge the gaps. This is important to plan allocations for each sector. Countries need to work under broad guidelines to evolve a roadmap to achieve these goals.”

Mr. Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, and, Member, PM Council on Climate Change, said: “How does one differentiate between targets for developed and developing countries? Differentiation must be based on capability and responsibility. We still need specific goals to measure progress. We must not forget the centrality of energy and water issues to achieve SDGs. This is a timely workshop and we need to focus on the trinity of sustainable development, environmental sustainability and sustainable energy.”

Said Mr. Anil Jain, Advisor-Energy, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog: “The basic concern is that development must be sustainable. Sustainability is related to the issue of equity – with people, between nations and inter-generational equity. In light of increasing climatic events, water stress and decreased agricultural yields, we must ensure that sustainable development must be ingrained in our development pathways. Air pollution has a huge relevance for sustainable energy. Our National policies must be sensitive to international and regional policies.”

Dr. P C Maithani, Director, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said: “According to the Census 2011, 45 per cent of our population still do not have access to electricity. Efforts must be made to integrate renewable energy to the grid. We are now beginning to export wind energy and have been making efforts to promote indigenous manufacture of renewable energy technologies. The task is gigantic and to bring about a transition, we need political will and governance mechanisms.”

Said Mr. Prabir Sengupta, Distinguished Fellow, TERI: “TERI has done intense research on sustainability and climate change, and we need to redefine our energy sourcing by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and invest more in renewables. TEDDY is the only comprehensive book in India, and we have decided to publish data in raw form to enable research professionals to learn and interpret data.”

Mr. Prabhat Upadhyaya, PhD candidate, Linköping University, Sweden, said: “There has been a fragmentation of global governance because the driving principles are different for different countries. We need to align various sectors as they are interconnected. To address environmental and energy sustainability, we need drivers to bring about change in the local context.”

Said Ms. Lydia Powell, Head, Centre for Resources Management, Observer Research Foundation: “Sustainability has become a much abused word; sustainability for what and for whom? What we want is to sustain the quality of life. We need to be realistic about the cost of renewable energy, as it is a complex issue and has wide ramifications.”

Ms.Shailly Kedia, Fellow, TERI, said: “We need to develop a reporting framework as we are on track on some goals, but are off-track on a number of goals. Global environmental goals must be aligned more closely with the Rio Convention and other multilateral agreements. Still, air pollution goals are weak and we need proper data collection and monitoring network.It is not receiving the kind of attention it deserves.”

Ms. Rinki Jain, Associate Fellow, TERI, said: “Significant efforts are needed to improve data collection methodologies. We need to bridge the identified gaps and implement statistical standards.”

The workshop comprised panel discussions on ‘Sustainable Development Goals in Context of India’, ‘Sustainable Energy’, and, ‘Environmental Sustainability’. Participants at the workshop highlighted the fact that coal and oil together account for 86 per cent of the total energy supply in India in 2011-12. Given the limited and unevenly distributed supply of non-renewable resources, it will become extremely difficult to meet India’s growing energy demand by relying on conventional energy alone. Harvesting renewable energy in a decentralized manner is one of the options to meet the challenges of providing modern energy services in India. Knowledge processes will also help mobilize governments, businesses, and civil society organizations around a shared set of sustainable development goals for our common future, they said.