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Chhattisgarh Child Rights Panel Awarded Coveted SKOCH Golden Award

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Golden Award for its innovative programme, 'Rakshak'. The honour was achieved under the leadership of Dr Varnika Sharma, Chairperson of the Chhattisgarh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country to receive the award in the field of child rights. The award was presented by SKOCH Group Chairman Sameer Kochhar in the presence of renowned environmentalist Sunita Narain, Poonam Mutreja of the Population Foundation of India, Sanjay Kumar, former Secretary to the Government of India, and Bharat Lal, former Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission. Dr Sharma said the selection process for the award was rigorous. "The Commission first presented a detailed presentation on the 'Rakshak' curriculum to the jury. After rigorous testing, it was selected for the Gold category," she said. The curriculum for the programme was developed to address the shortage of trained human resources in the field of child protection. Its key strength is its practical model. "Students do not only acquire theoretical knowledge, but will also engage directly with Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, child care institutions, and voluntary organizations through the Commission's communication units, working on fieldwork, case studies, and project reports," Dr Sharma said.

Gurgaon to see fresh rooftop solar push; why the 2027 deadline is significant?

More than a decade after Haryana made rooftop solar panels mandatory for several commercial and residential buildings, the state government is now planning a fresh push to ensure they are actually installed. The drive will focus on Gurgaon and Faridabad, with buildings expected to meet the solar requirement by 2027, The Indian Express has learnt. The move comes as many housing societies and commercial buildings in the two cities continue to depend mainly on the regular power grid and diesel generators, despite Haryana’s earlier rules promoting solar power. Over a decade of roadblocks Haryana first mandated the use of rooftop solar panels under the Energy Conservation Act in September 2014, which was later amended in March 2016. According to state government records, the rules require rooftop solar panels on residential plots of 500 square yards or more, group housing societies, and commercial buildings with a power load of over 50 kW. The required solar capacity varies depending on the size of the property and its electricity use. The progress, in terms of execution, however, has been disappointing. A 2019 study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that Gurgaon had installed only 25 MW of rooftop solar by March 2019, against the 54.5 MW that had been approved. Industrial users accounted for 53% of the installations, followed by commercial buildings at 38%. Residential high-rises accounted for just 9%. Officials in the state Power department said weak enforcement has been one of the main reasons for the slow progress. Although the Town and Country Planning Department made rooftop solar a requirement for getting occupation certificates under the Haryana Building Code, checks largely stopped after developers handed over the housing complexes to resident welfare associations, according to sources.

राजस्थान के स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग को ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम पर गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड

राजस्थान सरकार के स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग द्वारा विकसित ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम (AMS) और उसके सफल क्रियान्वयन को स्कॉच फाउंडेशन ने गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया है। यह पुरस्कार 26 सितंबर 2026 को नई दिल्ली स्थित इंडिया हैबिटेट सेंटर के सिल्वर ऑक हॉल में आयोजित स्कॉच फाउंडेशन के 109वें सम्मिट में प्रदान किया गया। स्कॉच फाउंडेशन के अध्यक्ष श्री समीर कोचर ने स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग के निदेशक अपूर्व जोशी तथा विभाग के प्रतिनिधियों ओम प्रकाश शर्मा, गौरव गुप्ता एवं सुनीता बराड़ को गोल्ड स्कॉच अवार्ड प्रदान किया। स्कॉच फाउंडेशन द्वारा गवर्नेंस एवं विकास के क्षेत्र में उत्कृष्ट कार्य करने वाले विभागों एवं विभिन्न संस्थाओं को अलग-अलग श्रेणियों में स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया जाता है। स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग द्वारा भारत सरकार एवं राजस्थान सरकार की विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं के पारदर्शी क्रियान्वयन और हितसाधक आउटकम को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम विकसित किया गया है, जिसे वर्ष 2021 से सफलतापूर्वक क्रियान्वित किया जा रहा है। इस सॉफ्टवेयर के माध्यम से पंचायती राज, नगरीय निकाय, विश्वविद्यालयों, देवस्थान विभाग आदि से संबंधित संस्थाओं की पारदर्शी ऑडिट का सिस्टम विकसित किया गया है। अंकेक्षण दलों का गठन, अंकेक्षण प्लानिंग, एक्जीक्यूशन तथा अनुपालनाएं ऑनलाइन किए जाकर सरकारी सिस्टम को राज्य सरकार की प्राथमिकताओं के अनुसार अधिक पारदर्शी बनाए जाने का प्रयास किया गया है। स्थानीय निधि संपरीक्षा अधिनियम के प्रावधानों के अनुसार इन संस्थाओं द्वारा क्रियान्वित योजनाओं में उजागर अनियमितताओं एवं त्रुटियों के निराकरण की दृष्टि से राजस्थान सरकार के वित्त विभाग के मार्गदर्शन में यह नवाचार किया गया है। इसके सम्मानित किए जाने पर वित्त विभाग के प्रमुख शासन सचिव श्री वैभव गालरिया ने प्रसन्नता व्यक्त करते हुए इसे राजस्थान सरकार के लिए गौरवपूर्ण उपलब्धि बताया। उन्होंने जनहित में किए गए इस प्रयास के लिए सभी संबद्ध पक्षों को बधाई दी। कार्यक्रम में सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की अध्यक्ष एवं प्रख्यात पर्यावरणविद् श्रीमती सुनीता नारायण को पर्यावरण एवं संपोषणीय विकास से जुड़े कार्यों के लिए लाइफ टाइम अचीवमेंट पुरस्कार भी प्रदान किया गया। इसके अलावा विभिन्न राज्यों के विभिन्न विभागों एवं अन्य संस्थानों सहित उड़ीसा के प्रमुख शासन सचिव, शिक्षा विभाग तथा छत्तीसगढ़ के प्रमुख शासन सचिव, जनजातीय विभाग को उनके द्वारा किए गए विशिष्ट कार्यों के लिए विभिन्न श्रेणियों में स्कॉच अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया। स्थानीय निधि अंकेक्षण विभाग के ऑडिट मैनेजमेंट सिस्टम को मिला यह सम्मान वर्ष 2021 से संचालित ऑनलाइन ऑडिट व्यवस्था और संस्थागत पारदर्शिता से जुड़े इस नवाचार को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर मिली मान्यता को रेखांकित करता है।

बाल आयोग के ‘रक्षक’ अभियान को मिला गोल्डन अवार्ड

छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग को राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर बड़ी उपलब्धि हासिल हुई है। आयोग के अभिनव नवाचार ‘रक्षक’ कार्यक्रम को देश के प्रतिष्ठित SKOCH गोल्डन अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया है। आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा के नेतृत्व में यह सम्मान प्राप्त हुआ है। बाल अधिकारों के क्षेत्र में यह पुरस्कार पाने वाला छत्तीसगढ़ देश का पहला राज्य बन गया है। इस उपलब्धि पर आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा ने कहा कि अवार्ड के लिए चयन प्रक्रिया काफी कठोर थी। सर्वप्रथम आयोग की ओर से जूरी के समक्ष ‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम पर विस्तृत प्रस्तुतीकरण दिया गया, जिसके बाद कड़े परीक्षण के उपरांत इसे गोल्ड श्रेणी के लिए चुना गया है। SKOCH गोल्डन अवार्ड प्रसिद्ध पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण, पॉपुलेशन फाउंडेशन ऑफ इंडिया की पूनम मुटरेजा, भारत सरकार के पूर्व सचिव संजय कुमार और राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग के पूर्व महासचिव भरत लाल की गरिमामयी उपस्थिति में SKOCH ग्रुप के चेयरमैन समीर कोचर द्वारा प्रदान किया गया।

‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम को राष्ट्रीय पहचान, छग बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग को SKOCH गोल्ड अवार्ड

छत्तीसगढ़ राज्य बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग के अभिनव ‘रक्षक’ पाठ्यक्रम को SKOCH गोल्ड अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया गया है। आयोग की अध्यक्ष डॉ. वर्णिका शर्मा के नेतृत्व में तैयार इस पहल को बाल अधिकार संरक्षण के क्षेत्र में राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर पहचान मिली है। यह सम्मान SKOCH ग्रुप के चेयरमैन समीर कोचर ने प्रदान किया। इस अवसर पर पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण, पॉपुलेशन फाउंडेशन ऑफ इंडिया की पूनम मुटरेजा, भारत सरकार के पूर्व सचिव संजय कुमार और राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग के पूर्व महासचिव भरत लाल उपस्थित थे।

NCR's sustainability mirage: Clean streets, toxic landfills

Much of India's environmental discourse imports a Western template: segregate at source, and the rest follows. This ignores a parallel economy that has existed in Indian households for generations. A 2021 Centre for Science and Environment report found that 30-60% of all paper and cardboard, 50-80% of all plastic, and nearly 100% of all glass bottles manufactured in India are recycled through the informal sector, an unorganized but remarkably efficient contributor to the circular economy.

Winter is coming — and signs are ominous

The season of farm fires is here and 47 cases have already been recorded in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and Madhya Pradesh between Sept 15 and 23. Experts said this stubble burning season could be complex as the Super El Niño is expected to reduce the number of western disturbances that bring rain that washes away pollutants in the air. To add to this, the peak burning period is expected to coincide with Diwali, which is on Nov 8, when winter conditions begin to set in. Gufran Beig, founder of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) and chair professor at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), said: “We are facing a Super El Nino, which is unprecedented for this century. The temperature of the Pacific Ocean has already increased over 3 degrees Celsius. It will lead to fewer western disturbances, which usually bring rain to Delhi and wash out pollutants for a temporary period. Hence, there will be more intrusion.” Beig said winter this year is expected to be mild as temperatures are unlikely to dip too much, causing the boundary layer height to remain higher for longer and resulting in less trapping of pollutants. “At the same time, due to a lower number of western disturbances, winds are likely to be slow down, leading to the accumulation of pollutants and stagnation. Besides, Punjab has recorded a rain deficit of over 35% this monsoon, and crop sowing has been delayed. Harvesting is likely to start from late Oct, and stubble burning may be extended beyond the end of Nov. Also, the festive period will be observed in Nov this year, when temperatures start dipping and winds slow down, causing the accumulation of pollutants,” he said. Of the total 47 cases reported between Sept 15 and 23, Punjab recorded 25 farm fires, Uttar Pradesh (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/uttar-pradesh) 19 and Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh one each. This is according to the satellite data compiled by Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Farm fires are currently low but their daily numbers will rise in Oct and peak in the f Experts believe that the impact of stubble burning on Delhi’s PM2.5 is likely to be more this year. The contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 was less in 2025 as the share of farm fires in Delhi’s air quality surpassed 10% on just eight days, including over 20% on only one day. It remained below 5% on most days. In contrast, the share of stubble burning was above 20% on 14 days in 2024, according to the data of Decision Support System. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said: “The stubble burning trend will depend on the effectiveness of enforcement and, more importantly, on-ground preparedness for in-situ residue management and ex-situ absorption of crop waste for industrial purposes.” She added that although there is an overall downward trend in crop burning incidents, solutions must be operationalised widely and effectively to nearly eliminate the problem. Punjab reported 5,114 farm fires last year, down from 10,909 in 2024, while Haryana recorded 662 incidents compared with 1,406. Paddy residue burning events in Uttar Pradesh rose from 6,142 in 2024 to 7,290 in 2025. Rajasthan witnessed 2,890 cases last year as against 2,772 in 2024 and Delhi saw a reduction in stubble burning cases from 13 in 2024 to five in 2025.

सर्दी से पहले अशुभ संकेत, इस 'आक्रामक खतरे' ने रख दिए हैं कदम, दिवाली में घुट सकता है दम

पराली जलाने से हालात और बदतर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) में रिसर्च और एडवोकेसी की एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा-'पराली जलाने का ट्रेंड इस बात पर निर्भर करेगा कि नियमों को कितनी सख्ती से लागू किया जाता है और इससे भी जरूरी बात खेतों में ही फसल के अवशेषों के मैनेजमेंट (इन-सीटू) और औद्योगिक इस्तेमाल के लिए फसल के कचरे को हटाने (एक्स-सीटू) की जमीनी तैयारी कैसी है।'

Stubble burning season begins: Why could a Super El Nino make Delhi's winter air worse?

Stubble burning season in north India could prove harder to manage this year with a Super El Nino expected to reduce western disturbances and the peak of farm fires likely to coincide with Diwali. Farm fires have already begun. Between September 15 and 23, 47 cases were recorded across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, based on satellite data compiled by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. Punjab logged 25 of them and Uttar Pradesh 19. Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reported one each. The numbers are low for now, but daily counts are set to climb in October and peak in the first 10 days of November. Stubble burning usually takes place from Septe... Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at the Centre for Science and Environment, was cited as saying that the stubble burning trend would depend on the effectiveness of enforcement and, more importantly, on-ground preparedness for in-situ residue management and ex-situ absorption of crop waste for industrial purposes. She added that although crop burning incidents show an overall downward trend, solutions must be operationalised widely and effectively to nearly elimina...

Delhi Air Pollution Is a Year-Round Governance Failure, Not a Winter Crisis

Delhi’s air pollution problem is often treated as a winter emergency, but the evidence cited in a recent report points to a more persistent urban governance challenge: most of the pollution is generated within the city and the wider region throughout the year. According to a Centre for Science and Environment analysis of data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Decision Support System, local sources account for 80 to 85 per cent of Delhi’s pollution. Vehicles are the largest local contributor, with a 46 per cent share, followed by industry at 22 per cent. That distribution changes the way Delhi’s air-quality crisis must be understood. External sources, including pollution transported from neighbouring regions, remain part of the problem, particularly during specific weather conditions. But the figures cited in the report indicate that the city cannot rely on seasonal restrictions or external explanations to deliver sustained improvement. The larger challenge is whether Delhi’s institutions can enforce controls on everyday urban activity: traffic, industrial operations, construction, road dust, household fuel use and waste burning. The seasonal framing has shaped both public attention and administrative response. Measures such as restrictions on truck entry, intensified inspections and emergency pollution-control actions are generally associated with the period when air quality deteriorates sharply in winter. The report argues that this approach leaves a gap during the rest of the year, allowing emissions to accumulate or remain poorly controlled until adverse weather makes the problem visible. The issue is not that winter measures are unnecessary. Delhi’s pollution becomes more hazardous when lower temperatures, weaker winds and atmospheric conditions trap pollutants close to the ground. The problem is that emergency action cannot substitute for routine enforcement. If the same sources operate throughout the year, an administrative system that becomes active only when the Air Quality Index deteriorates is responding to the symptoms of an established emissions problem rather than controlling its causes. The source profile makes the institutional challenge clear. Vehicles account for 46 per cent of local emissions in the analysis cited by the report. This places mobility policy at the centre of air-quality management. Vehicle emissions are connected not only to the number of vehicles on Delhi’s roads, but also to congestion, fuel quality and compliance with pollution-control requirements. The report notes that the Commission for Air Quality Management has directed that vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate should not receive fuel from May 2026. It also says that electric three-wheelers have been mandated for new registrations in Delhi and the National Capital Region. These measures address compliance and fleet transition, but their effect depends on implementation. A rule requiring a valid certificate is meaningful only when testing is reliable, enforcement is consistent and violations carry consequences. Similarly, a shift towards electric three-wheelers can reduce emissions from a specific vehicle segment, but the report does not establish how quickly this will alter the overall vehicle contribution. What it does establish is that transport cannot be treated as a secondary issue in Delhi’s pollution-control framework. Industry is the second-largest local source in the cited assessment, with a 22 per cent share. The report refers to separate directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management in 2026 for particulate emissions from industries. Delhi Pollution Control Committee monitoring also covers industrial sources, along with construction, generators, vehicles and open waste burning. This creates a broad regulatory responsibility, but it also raises the question of coordination between agencies and the consistency of field-level action. The distinction between having rules and enforcing them is central to the city’s pollution problem. The report lists directions for controlling dust at construction and demolition sites, managing debris and operating mechanical road-cleaning machines. It also describes real-time pollution-source identification and forecasting arrangements under the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. These mechanisms indicate that the administrative system has formal tools for monitoring several major sources. The continuing pollution burden suggests that the existence of tools has not removed the implementation gap. Construction and road dust together account for smaller shares in the figures cited: construction at 6 per cent and road dust at 3 per cent. Their percentages should not be read as evidence that these sources are unimportant. Construction activity is highly visible across Delhi, and dust from broken roads, uncovered material, demolition and poorly managed sites affects local neighbourhoods even when its citywide share is lower than that of vehicles or industry. The report specifically points to dust rising from a damaged road near Zakhira on Rohtak Road, illustrating how routine infrastructure conditions can become part of the pollution problem. The governance implication is that pollution control cannot be limited to large, easily identifiable episodes. It must extend to the everyday management of streets and construction sites. Dust control depends on site inspections, covering materials, managing debris, maintaining roads and ensuring that contractors comply with prescribed procedures. Road-cleaning standards are useful only if equipment is deployed where it is required and if the outcome is monitored. These are municipal and regulatory functions that operate at street level, often far from the seasonal public debate over Delhi’s air. The report also attributes 11 per cent of local pollution to domestic sources and 4 per cent to waste burning. These categories show that the problem is distributed across formal and informal urban systems. Household fuel use, waste collection failures and open burning cannot be addressed only through air-quality alerts. They require coordination between local administration, sanitation services, enforcement teams and communities. The supplied material does not provide a detailed assessment of the performance of these systems, but it identifies them as continuing components of the local emissions profile. A further complication is the variation between pollution-source studies. To address this, the Commission for Air Quality Management has prepared a high-resolution emissions inventory and source-apportionment framework based on 500-by-500-metre grids, according to the report. The stated objective is to reduce differences between studies and create a more consistent scientific basis for identifying sources. This is important for governance because pollution-control resources cannot be targeted effectively if agencies are working from incompatible estimates of what is driving emissions in particular areas. A grid-level framework could also make the city’s response more geographically precise. Citywide percentages identify broad priorities, but they do not show whether a neighbourhood’s exposure is driven mainly by traffic, construction, industry, waste burning or a combination of sources. The report does not provide the grid-level findings, so it is not possible from the supplied evidence to assess how the new framework changes enforcement priorities. Its significance lies in the attempt to connect scientific measurement with administrative action. The timing of Delhi’s air-quality deterioration reinforces the argument for a year-round system. The report states that the city’s AQI was below 100 in August but crossed 170 by September, before a major fall in temperature. These figures are presented as an indication that pollution is not confined to the coldest months. They also challenge the assumption that winter weather alone creates Delhi’s air-quality crisis. Weather can intensify pollution, but emissions are present before the winter peak arrives. That distinction matters for planning. If action begins only after air quality has already deteriorated, agencies are likely to rely on short-term restrictions rather than sustained source control. By September, traffic congestion, construction activity and industrial emissions are already part of the city’s daily operating pattern. A year-round plan would therefore need to treat air quality as a continuous municipal and regional management responsibility, rather than as a temporary emergency that begins with the onset of winter. The policy landscape described in the report is already extensive. The Commission for Air Quality Management issues directions covering industries, vehicles, construction and demolition, road dust and fuel access. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee monitors multiple source categories and has systems for real-time source identification and forecasting. The challenge identified by the report is not an absence of policy instruments but their seasonal application and uneven enforcement. This places responsibility across several layers of government. Air-quality regulators set standards and issue directions. The pollution-control committee monitors regulated sources. Municipal bodies are connected to roads, construction oversight, waste management and dust control. Transport authorities and enforcement agencies influence vehicle compliance and traffic conditions. Regional coordination is required for issues such as truck movement and crop-residue burning. The source material does not evaluate the performance of each institution separately, but it shows why no single agency can resolve the problem alone. The regional dimension remains relevant even when local sources dominate. The report says neighbouring states must coordinate on timely disposal of crop residue to prevent open burning. However, its central finding is that local emissions account for 80 to 85 per cent of Delhi’s pollution. The policy consequence is a dual responsibility: regional cooperation is necessary for transported pollution and residue burning, while Delhi must continuously control the sources generated within its own urban boundary. For residents, the distinction between local and external pollution does not change the immediate experience of poor air. It does, however, change the accountability question. When a large share of emissions originates from vehicles, industry, construction, domestic activity, waste burning and road conditions, improvement depends on the daily performance of public systems. The air-quality crisis is therefore also a test of transport management, construction regulation, waste services, industrial compliance and municipal maintenance. The evidence supplied in the report confirms three broad points. First, Delhi’s pollution is substantially local according to the cited source-apportionment analysis. Second, vehicles are the largest identified local contributor, followed by industry. Third, the regulatory architecture covers many of the relevant sources but is criticised in the report for focusing mainly on winter conditions. What remains less clear from the supplied material is how consistently the existing directions are enforced throughout the year and how the new 500-by-500-metre emissions framework will alter operational decisions. Those are the developments that deserve monitoring. The effectiveness of the PUC certificate fuel rule, enforcement of construction and industrial controls, the adoption of electric three-wheelers, the use of mechanical road-cleaning standards and the functioning of the new emissions inventory will determine whether Delhi’s response moves beyond seasonal crisis management. Until those systems operate continuously, the city’s air pollution will remain not only an environmental emergency but also a test of urban governance.

Ozone hole shrinks but India's ache remains amid worsening ground-level pollution

The Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 is the smallest in decades, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation published in Geneva this month, suggesting a reduction in harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays reaching Earth. The organisation attributed the development to a “testimony to the continuing success of international action to protect the Earth’s ozone layer which shields us against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays”. The Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 is the smallest in decades, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organisation published in Geneva this month, suggesting a reduction in harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays reaching Earth. The organisation attributed the development to a “testimony to the continuing success of international action to protect the Earth’s ozone layer which shields us against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays”. ADVERTISEMENT An air pollution expert said that while the reduction of stratospheric ozone levels was a crucial global development, the problem in India was different as the impact of ground-level ozone pollution had steadily increased in the country. “The WMO report is important and underlines the importance of countries working together on reducing ozone-depleting substances that can be a model for combating other critical climate issues, but India’s problem is the increase of ground-level ozone that gets generated locally through vehicular exhaust, industrial emission and others means,” said Anumita Roy Choudhury, an air pollution expert from the think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

IEA’s ‘Electrification’ report: governments must back renewables, not nuclear and fossil fuels

Climate Action Network International today warned that the COP31 “35-by-35” electrification target will fail to deliver climate progress unless it is powered by sustainable renewable energy – not nuclear power, oil, gas or coal – and implemented as a just, equitable and people-centred transition. The warning follows the publication today of the International Energy Agency’s new special report, Electrification. Developed at the request of Türkiye and Australia through the strategic partnership between the COP31 Presidency and the agency, the report envisages a scenario in which nuclear power could make a “strong comeback” in its pathway aligned with net zero emissions by 2050. Under that pathway, annual nuclear capacity additions could rise from around 3 GW today to more than 40 GW by 2035. 35 by 35: What kind of power – and for whom? During New York Climate Week, Türkiye launched the 35-by-35 pledge as part of the COP31 Action Agenda. CAN International said that reaching the numbers on paper would not constitute climate progress: governments have to consider how electricity is generated, what it is used for, who gains access to it, and who owns and controls the systems that deliver it. The pledge says that the goal should be supported by “diverse and sustainable energy sources”, without defining those sources. The IEA’s High Electrification Scenario likewise does not determine how the additional electricity demand would be met but presents several scenarios. Alongside the expansion of nuclear power envisaged in its net zero pathway, the report also presents a scenario where gas-fired generation could increase by around 2,000 TWh by 2035 under the supply mix based on stated policies. Janet Milongo, Energy Transition Lead at CAN International, said: “The 35-by-35 target will only represent climate progress if it is powered by sustainable renewable energy – and that’s not nuclear or fossil fuels. Success cannot be measured simply by how much of the world’s final energy consumption becomes electric. We must ask what generates that electricity, who has access to it, who owns the infrastructure, and whether it is helping communities transition away from fossil fuels. Developing countries must have the resources and capacity to own, govern and shape their electricity systems in the public interest.” The global electrification agenda must also strengthen energy sovereignty. International cooperation and investment should build domestic capabilities and resilient, public-interest energy systems – not create new dependencies in which grids, technologies and energy resources are controlled by foreign governments or multinational corporations. The report acknowledges that electrification alone is not enough to meet climate goals and that how additional electricity demand is met has major implications for emissions. CAN International called for rising demand to be met through the rapid, just and equitable expansion of sustainable renewable energy, supported by energy efficiency and sufficiency, storage and fit-for-purpose grids. Public resources and political attention should be directed towards these rapidly deployable solutions, rather than costly, risky and slow-to-deploy nuclear projects or continued dependence on gas, oil and coal which run counter to climate science. ENDS/ Additional civil society quotes: Jacqueline Kimeu, Senior Climate Change and Energy Advisor, Christian Aid: “Investing scarce public resources in nuclear power is the wrong choice for a just energy transition, especially in developing countries, where electrification is not simply about replacing one technology with another. It means powering homes and hospitals, creating industries and jobs, and building resilient economies; needs that decentralised renewable energy can meet. Every dollar spent on nuclear power reduces investment in renewable solutions that can reach underserved communities quickly, create local jobs and provide clean energy without transferring hidden costs and risks to future generations. Achieving 35 by 35 therefore requires recognising countries’ different starting points and giving developing countries the finance, technology and policy space to shape their own renewable energy futures.” Rajneesh Bhuee, Just Transition Co-lead, Recourse: “Electrification can be a powerful driver of the energy transition, but 35 by 35 only has climate credibility if it is powered by sustainable renewables. Paris alignment means avoiding new fossil fuel lock-in and directing public finance towards the grids, storage, efficiency and sustainable renewable energy systems needed to electrify at scale. Nuclear can not be treated as interchangeable with sustainable renewable solutions: doing so risks diverting scarce finance and attention from the rapid deployment of sustainable renewables. For the Global South, electrification must expand affordable, reliable access without creating new dependencies.” Avantika Goswami, Programme Manager Climate Change and Green Economy, CSE India: “Electrification is a low-hanging fruit to support economy-wide decarbonisation as countries work towards achieving their climate goals. The effort must be to ensure that it is backed by grid-scale renewable energy coupled with storage, so that we achieve twin goals: electrifying infrastructure and drawing down fossil fuel use. For this to work, customized sectoral needs and gaps for developing countries must be identified, and developed countries must commit the corresponding financial and technological support for this global target to work.” Stela Herschmann, Lead of International Policy, Observatório do Clima (Brasil): “Electrification is key to tackling the root cause of the climate and energy crisis – but only if those electrons come from renewables, not fossil fuels. It’s a means, not an end. Any target needs to be anchored in real guardrails: it must close the energy access gap, be backed by public finance, and respect community rights, not repeat the harms of extraction.”