Can low-carbon urban development be pro-poor? The case of Kolkata, India

Colenbrander, Sarah; Gouldson, Andy; Roy, Joyashree; Kerr, Niall; Sarkar, Sayantan; Hall, Stephen; Sudmant, Andrew; Ghatak, Amrita; Chakravarty, Debalina; Ganguly, Diya; McAnulla, Faye

doi:10.1177/0956247816677775

Cited by 45 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…As a share of total city‐scale emissions, these findings indicate that the cost‐effective mitigation potential in Kigali is much higher than that that available for cities in middle‐income countries. In Palembang in Indonesia (Colenbrander, Gouldson, Sudmant, & Papargyropoulou, ), Kolkata in India (Colenbrander et al, ), and Recife in Brazil (Colenbrander et al, ), for example, economically attractive measures would only deliver emission reductions of 20–25% relative to business‐as‐usual trends.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The scope for low‐carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda: An economic appraisal

Colenbrander

Sudmant

Chilundika

et al. 2018

Sustainable Development

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Urban plans and infrastructure investments in sub-Saharan Africa need to support human and economic development, while also helping countries and cities stay within the global carbon budget. To date, however, no analyses have focused on the economic costs and benefits of pursuing less carbon-intensive urban growth in sub-Saharan African cities. This is significant as the perception that low-carbon urban development is more expensive than higher-carbon alternatives can be enough to preclude consideration of opportunities for more sustainable development, especially in highly resource-constrained contexts. This paper examines the validity of this perception through an economic appraisal of the scope for low-carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda. We find that the city of Kigali could theoretically invest 0.6% of its GDP each year for 10 years in economically attractive mitigation measures. This would generate annual energy savings equivalent to 1.5% of its GDP and reduce city-scale emissions by 39% by 2032 (relative to business-as-usual trends). The economic case for urban climate action is therefore substantial, and although the city is in some ways unique, this suggests that promising opportunities also exist in other sub-Saharan African cities. However, few national or local governments in the region have the political will and institutional capabilities necessary to realise this mitigation potential. We also find that although potentially significant in the short to medium term, these economically attractive measures would not be sufficient to decouple economic development and greenhouse gas emissions in Kigali in the longer term.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The scope for low‐carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda: An economic appraisal

Colenbrander

Sudmant

Chilundika

et al. 2018

Sustainable Development

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“…increased biomass export and international financial support. Barbier (2014) and Colenbrander et al (2017) review impacts on poverty from climate policy, but find both direct and indirect effects that either reduce or worsen poverty, so the results are far from conclusive. A few articles study employment co-benefits and these also show mixed results (Chateau & Saint-Martin, 2013;Laitner, Bernow, & Decicco, 1998;Pollitt, Alexandri, Chewpreecha, & Klaassen, 2015;Yamazaki, 2017).…”

Section: Improved Economic and Organizational Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Climate policy co-benefits: a review

2020

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Concern over mitigation costs impedes the adoption of the climate policies needed to achieve agreed global warming targets. While costs are important to consider, so are benefits. However, the evidence for climate policy co-benefits, that is, the benefits in addition to avoided climate change costs, is commonly overlooked in policy-making. In many areas, the research is limited and not comprehensively synthesised. This article counters that problem and reviews 239 peer-reviewed articles, selected from 1,749 hits from a literature search covering 'co-benefits' and related terms. Aiming to aid policy-makers and to identify research gaps, we structure, describe, analyse and synthesize the rapidly expanding knowledge on climate policy co-benefits. Improved air quality is the co-benefit category dominating the literature, but studies covering a broad geographic range also focus on diet, physical activity, soil and water quality, biodiversity, economic performance, and energy security. In these areas, co-benefits are shown to be of substantial economic value, regarding air quality often of the same order of magnitude as mitigation costs, in some instances even larger. However, the share of studies quantifying or monetizing cobenefits is limited, and the empirical evidence is small, in particular for areas besides air quality and health. Furthermore, the knowledge is seldom used in policy-making, meaning that decision-making is often biased and overly concerned with costs, leading to suboptimal climate policies and goal failures. Evidently, more research is needed, as well as improved decision-making. Understanding and acting on climate policy co-benefits can promote policies that better mitigate climate change and improve overall welfare. Key policy insights. Climate policy co-benefits in well-researched fields such as air quality and health are large, often equalling or exceeding mitigation costs. . Despite their significance, co-benefits are seldom considered in decision-making, leading to biased policies and goal failures. . In several areas, such as diet and energy security, co-benefits are sparsely researched, but emerging evidence points to high values. . More research is needed, including on how to describe the total value of different co-benefits. . Improved processes, documentation requirements and criteria in decision-making are needed, in order to ensure that political decision-makers consider co-benefits. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…Such formulation of climate action has led to a growing literature on climate and local development linkages. In Delhi and Kolkata, studies proposed low-carbon residences by improving end-use efficiency, and also through rooftop solar and waste-to-energy plants (Farzaneh et al 2014) that link both affordable and pro-poor low-carbon projects (Colenbrander et al 2016). In Indore and Gorakhpur, non-state actors leading climate projects had to also focus on local realities of immediate and known problems, such as garbage collection, while coping with governance in silos (Bahadur and Tanner 2014a).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Urban India's Climate Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban India and Climate Change

Khosla¹,

Bhardwaj²

2019

India in a Warming World

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India will undergo immense urbanization in the coming decades, doubling its urban population by 2050. This transformation is unique as it will come at the time when the impacts of, as well as the global momentum to respond to, climate change heighten. India’s urban transformation will, therefore, have deep implications for not only local welfare and environmental conditions but also for climate mitigation and climate adaptation. As most of urban India is yet to be built, India has a unique opportunity to lock-in low-carbon, resilient, and equitable urban forms for the long term. This chapter discusses the evolution of India’s urban climate actions, from addressing climate risks to, more recently, mitigation, while also exploring the governance characteristics of these actions. These actions, while nascent, provide an indication that the future trajectory of urban responses to climate change will be shaped by how local development and climate goals will be linked and prioritized.

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Can low-carbon urban development be pro-poor? The case of Kolkata, India

Cited by 45 publications

References 42 publications

The scope for low‐carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda: An economic appraisal

The scope for low‐carbon development in Kigali, Rwanda: An economic appraisal

Climate policy co-benefits: a review

Urban India and Climate Change

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