Electricity is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions globally that cause climate change, and the heart of economic development and social improvement for the world’s largest economies, including India and China. Tomorrow’s systems will need to be much larger to support continued economic growth and the demand that comes with it, but they will also need to be substantially less carbon-intensive to meet our climate goals, with renewables replacing coal.
The Center on Global Energy Policy hosted a panel discussion that brought together senior experts to provide their insights into this challenge of expanding access to electricity while also lowering carbon emissions, with a focus on lessons that can be drawn from India and China. The panel included Ajay Mathur, Director General of TERI (India), and Deborah Seligsohn, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Villanova University, and was moderated by CGEP Adjunct Senior Research Scholar Philippe Benoit, who leads the Center’s energy for development research initiative.
