India’s energy demands will increase more than those of any other country over the next two decades, underlining the country’s importance to global efforts to combat climate change, according to the head of the International Energy Agency. India’s energy needs are expected to grow at three times the global average under today’s policies, according to an IEA report, as urbanisation fuels a construction spree, consumers increase purchases of appliances such as air conditioners and hundreds of millions of vehicles hit roads.
“The choices made by the Indian government, by the Indian people, will affect the entire world,” Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, told the Financial Times in an interview India’s energy use has doubled since 2000, with most of that demand met by coal and oil. Energy demand is set to grow about 35 per cent until 2030, down from 50 per cent before the coronavirus pandemic.
Birol said policymakers needed to ensure the next wave of growth is met with renewable energy sources such as solar. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set ambitious targets for renewable energy growth, including expanding capacity to 450 gigawatts in the next decade.