Challenges Across Borders: Climate Action in India and Australia

At the 21st United Nations National Climate Change Conference in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted – an international treaty on climate change, signed by 196 countries. This kickstarted the “net zero goal” – cutting or reducing greenhouse emissions to as close to zero as possible. This initiative was taken to tackle a climate emergency that was growing at an alarming rate: in recent years, average world temperatures have gone up by 1.1-1.2 degrees, with an attendant rise in environmental degradation and socioeconomic tensions. India’s neighbour, Bhutan, was the first country in the world to achieve net zero emissions, and now over 90 countries, representing about 80% of global emissions, are working towards this goal.  
 
India and Australia, both aiming to get to net zero in the next few decades, have many factors in common: their reliance on fossil resources, growing energy demand, and agricultural emissions, as well as governance challenges. Both countries have signed agreements to jointly work on renewable energy infrastructure, critical minerals extraction and solar energy production. There are also some regional specificities, including differences in population, industry, and development, which mean each country is tailoring its approach uniquely. Within their climate action plans, Australia is focusing heavily on sectoral decarbonisation, while India is looking at low-carbon development (of systems including electricity and transport), and building forest cover. Given the scale of these goals, cross-border collaboration is particularly important. 

Asia Society India Centre and the University of Sydney present this experts roundtable as an opportunity to collectively reflect on Australia and India's Net Zero aspirations, the countries’ current sociopolitical and economic drivers, and shared lessons to mitigate the climate emergency. Bringing together researchers from the University of Sydney with corporate leaders, academics and climate advocates from India, the roundtable will explore realistic ways in which Net Zero can be achieved; the role and importance of different stakeholders; and opportunities for collaboration.  

In collaboration with the University of Sydney