India’s ‘Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement,’ announced at COP26 in Glasgow, aims to propagate sustainable lifestyles based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation. Rural women-led programmes in implementing renewable energy and climate-friendly solutions can support the LiFE movement and India’s pledge towards a net zero carbon economy by 2070. Both initiatives are closely interlinked with empowerment of women and communities, focusing on energy security and sustainable consumption and use of resources. As India transitions to fossil-fuel-free sources of energy, distributed renewable energy (DRE)—when energy is generated from renewable energy sources near the point of use, and climate-friendly solutions are vital and can also help support both the LiFE movement and the net zero initiative.
Close to two-thirds of India’s population lives in villages, with uncertain and irregular power grid availability. Distributed renewables can supplement the emerging demand of newly electrified households under the flagship ‘SAUBHAGYA’ scheme and increase reliability of power supply. Distributed renewables can also help these villages electrify, improve livelihoods, and reduce drudgery for women through mechanizing activities or reducing time spent collecting and processing traditional fuels such as wood.
This story is from the March 2023 edition of TerraGreen.
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This story is from the March 2023 edition of TerraGreen.
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