News, Views, and Updates from TERI
Dear Reader,
As we step into July, we are thrilled to share the significant strides TERI has made, building on the momentum from the past month. June was a period of sustained activity, showcasing our unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and research excellence.
This month, we released a comprehensive study, ‘Reassessment of Solar Potential in India: A Macro-level Study’, offering crucial insights into the nation's renewable energy landscape. Further strengthening our collaborative efforts, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indian Institute of Forest Management, fostering future initiatives in sustainable forest management. Adding to our impactful publications, we released ‘India’s 2035 Climate Target: A Business Opportunity for Growth and Global Leadership’—a brief highlighting the economic advantages of ambitious climate action.
TERI and We Mean Business Coalition Launch India’s 2035 Climate Target: A Business Opportunity for Growth and Global Leadership to Align Industry with India’s 2035 Climate Goals
As India prepares to submit its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ahead of COP30, there is a pivotal opportunity to align national climate ambition with the country’s broader development goals and industrial transition pathways. Under aegis of TERI’s ‘Industry Charter for Near Zero Emissions by 2050’, TERI collaborated with the global We Mean Business Coalition, to jointly developed a brief on how a set of actionable, sector-specific recommendations across key emissions-intensive areas such as power, industry, transport, and nature-based solutions can better shape India’s 2035 Climate Target. TERI’s Charter, a coalition of like-minded industries bound in their voluntary pledges to reduce emissions, deliberated the need to align India’s climate ambition with industrial competitiveness, clean investment and sustainable growth.
Know MoreAdvancing Solar Energy: ISA CEO Caucus in Collaboration with TERI and the Becquerel Institute
The International Solar Alliance (ISA), in collaboration with TERI and the Becquerel Institute, hosted the Private Sector Roundtable in Brussels, a key event under the CEO Caucus initiative. This high-level forum brought together C-suite executives, industry leaders, and policymakers to foster dialogue and drive global solar energy adoption. The Brussels Roundtable focused on positioning Europe within global solar value chains, emphasizing themes such as diversification, innovation, and policy enablement. The event aimed to address critical challenges like diversifying solar manufacturing supply chains, unlocking capital for solar projects, fostering technological innovation, and enabling commercialization through policy interventions.
Know MoreTERI Signs an MOU with Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal
TERI and IIFM (Indian Institute for Forest Management, Bhopal) have entered an MOU, which was signed by Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI and Dr K Ravichandran, Director, IIFM. The MOU, which is effective for 10 years, lays in place a framework for collaboration between the two organisations for developing programs, research projects, advisory services and submitting joint proposals to various governments, non-government agencies and private sector entities.
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Reassessment of Solar Potential in India: A Macro-level Study
TERI’s study, Reassessment of Solar Potential in India: A Macro-level Study, revisits the solar potential of conventional areas like barren & unculturable lands and explores additional avenues to increase the country’s solar potential estimates. Based on literature review and macro analysis through various assumptions made by the authors, the study re-evaluates the country’s solar potential. The categories considered and their estimated solar potential, based on the norm of 3 Acres per MW for ground mounted solar PV on barren & unculturable and floating solar PV.
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India’s 2035 Climate Target: A Business Opportunity for Growth and Global Leadership
TERI and the We Mean Business Coalition, with strategic inputs from industry stakeholders, have developed recommendations for how the Indian government can ensure India’s new NDC drives enhanced business action and investment in climate action. It covers the following three pillars and builds on the global ‘Business Call to Action for Ambitious and Investible NDCs’ launched by the We Mean Business Coalition in September 2024.
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Assessing the Economic Viability and Environmental Benefits of Treating Market Waste Using Anaerobic Digestion: A Case Study of Koyambedu Market in Chennai, India
This case study explores multiple scenarios to highlight the economic viability and environmental benefits of diverting organic waste from Koyambedu Market, Chennai to a planned anaerobic digestion facility. It also identifies best practices to enhance market waste management, including strategies to treat hard-to-digest feedstocks.
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Enhancing the Effectiveness of Blended Finance for Climate Action in India
This paper examines global and Indian climate finance trends, highlighting persistent shortfalls in private sector participation and skewed investments toward mitigation over adaptation. With India's clean energy investment needs projected to rise to over USD 250 billion annually by 2030, current flows fall drastically short. Although India has initiated several policy reforms to promote climate investments, the blended finance ecosystem remains nascent and faces challenges, including legal ambiguity, limited credit enhancement mechanisms, and underdeveloped risk-sharing structures.
Know MoreMaintaining the Status Quo in Plastic Waste Management is Not an Option
“While policy in India is robust and in line with international commitments, the reduction in plastic-waste recycling rates is a matter of concern,“ write Dr Suneel Pandey, Director, TERI, in his article for Outlook Business.
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Local Strategies a Must for Indian Cities Facing Heat Waves
“Urban heat is a public health emergency, an infrastructure challenge and a climate crisis rolled into one. To safeguard cities and their most vulnerable populations, India needs city-level cost-effective long-term mitigation strategies,” write Mr Sanjay Seth, Senior Director; and Yatin Choudhary, Fellow, TERI, in their article for 360info.org.
Know MoreBlue Carbon: Why India Must Bet Big on Blue Ecosystems
“As the impacts of climate change intensify, the global spotlight is turning toward blue carbon ecosystems mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes, and coastal wetlands as high-impact, nature-based climate solutions,” writes Mr Sayanta Ghosh, Associate Fellow, TERI, in his op-ed for The Pioneer.
Know MoreViksit Bharat by 2047 Goal: Are We on Track for Tech Advancement?
“Public support for innovation must shift towards radical improvements in higher education and financial support for startups and new innovators,” writes Mr Nitin Desai, Chairman, TERI, in his article for Business Standard.
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India’s New AC Set Point Rule: A Small Tweak with Big Implications
“In the face of intense heat, it is natural for people to lower their AC temperature to 18°C or even 16°C, hoping for quick relief. But cooling comfort isn’t just about cold blasts of air — it is about achieving thermal comfort: a state where people feel neither too hot nor too cold, balanced with humidity and air movement. For most Indian conditions, the average thermal comfort temperature usually lies between 24°C and 28°C, which is much higher than what most ACs are typically set at” writes Mr Shaurya Anand in his article for the TERI Web Desk.
View AllTERI Participates in the 2nd Global Conclave on Plastic Recycling and Sustainability
TERI, as a knowledge partner, participated in the 2nd Global Conclave on Plastics Recycling and Sustainability (GCPRS) international exhibition, jointly organized by the All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA) and the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers’ Association (CPMA), held from 17th to 20th June, 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. At the Conference, the institute presented innovative sustainable technologies and solution practices for plastic manufacturing and waste circularity. As a leading research organization dedicated to sustainable development, it highlighted key considerations, social transformation, and strategic alliances needed to shape sustainable solutions for plastic waste management, while also showcasing ongoing efforts to raise awareness about waste management and circularity.
Know MoreTAKE 3
Take 3 is a short video featuring in-house experts who answer three questions on current developments.
TAKE 3: Combat Desertification and Drought
In this edition of Take 3, released on the occasion of the United Nations Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, Dr Ekta Bhardwaj, Research Associate, TERI, delves into the pressing challenges posed by desertification and drought. She unpacks this year’s theme—‘Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities’—highlighting its global significance, and shares practical solutions and strategies that can help reverse land degradation and build a more resilient future.
Watch HereTAKE 3: EVs: Drive the Future
In this edition of Take 3, marking the International Day for Biological Diversity, Ms Areeba Usmani, Research Associate, TERI, explores the meaning behind this year’s theme — ‘Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development.’ She unpacks the vital role biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth and how aligning with nature is key to building a resilient, inclusive future.
Watch HereTERI engages with multiple facets of sustainable development from science and technology to policy. The Earth Pod will steer conversations on issues related to climate change, energy transitions, and environment friendly growth.
The Earth Pod ― Himalayan Distress: Mountains on the Edge
In this episode, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI, brings focus to the mounting environmental challenges in the Indian Himalayan Region. From rapidly melting glaciers and the loss of rich biodiversity to the growing impacts of unsustainable tourism and unmanaged plastic waste, the Himalayas are sending out unmistakable warning signals. She underscores the global significance of the region and the growing ecological and economic imbalance in hill development.
Watch HereFrom Darkness To Dawn: Solar Energy In Assam
This documentary explores how clean energy is transforming lives across rural Assam through a powerful collaboration between TERI and Numaligarh Refinery Limited. Launched in 2015 as a part of NRL’s CSR efforts, this TERI-NRL initiative addresses critical gaps in energy access, infrastructure, and livelihoods in remote villages—especially those near protected forest areas—through community-driven, renewable energy solutions. Over the years, the programme has introduced a range of impactful interventions: solar street lighting for safer village roads, domestic systems with lights and fans, solar water pumps for agriculture and school sanitation, water filtration units, and cold storage systems to preserve perishable produce.
Watch HereTERI (The Energy and Resources Institute)
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