The International Energy Agency estimates that over the period to 2040, an estimated 270 million people are likely to be added to India’s urban population. How fast India urbanises and industrialises over the coming decades, and the policies that governs these processes will be of crucial significance for countries’ energy future and global climate mitigation efforts.

To understand the implications of India’s current and future urbanization, we interviewed Siddharth Singh, co-lead author of India Energy Outlook 2021, published by the International Energy Agency. Siddharth has researched and written extensively about global and indian energy sector policies.

Suggested Reading:

1. https://www.iea.org/reports/india-energy-outlook-2021

Timestamp:

0:00 - Podcast intro

1:19 - Introduction of Siddharth Singh

2:06 - About Siddharth: Life & career

10:34 - Syriana: Do movie scenes replay in real life?

15:00 - IEA Energy Outlook - How urbanisation is linked to energy use?

24:59 - What urbanisation means in India

30:32 - Impact of construction activities on energy & commodities demand

35:55 - Balancing rising energy need with climate mitigation plans

44:14 - Heat pumps as an alternative to ACs in India

47:50 - Incentivising Energy Efficiency for residential segment

51:05 - Contribution of urban transport to Green Economy

58:18 - Urbanisation & carbon emissions

01:10:40 - What urbanisation scenario India is likely to follow

01:13:32 - Imagining future urban landscape of India

01:18:07 - Transition towards greener mobility options

01:22:20 - Role of public spaces in energy efficiency & urban infra

01:26:13 - Podcast outro

Follow TIEH podcast on Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.