Centre for Economic and Social Progress (CSEP)

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The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) conducts in-depth, policy relevant research and provides evidence-based recommendations to the challenges facing India and the world. It draws on the expertise of its researchers, extensive interactions with policy makers as well as convening power to enhance the impact of research. Our researchers work across domains including, but not limited to, Growth, Finance & Development; Energy, Natural Resources and Sustainability; and Foreign Policy and Security. All our research and policy recommendations are freely available to the public. CSEP is based in New Delhi and registered as a company limited by shares and not for profit, under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 1956.

Recent Posts

Are current climate initiatives unfair to developing nations?

November 17, 2022

World leaders are gathered in Egypt for COP27, a global summit to share ideas about mitigating the climate crisis. The planet faces irreversible tipping points if the temperature warms by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  To stave off the worst effects, global greenhouse gas emissions must drop by 45% by 2030. However, the climate initiatives currently in place will cut emissions only 5% to 10% by that date.  Rahul Tongia, a senior fellow with the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi and a nonresident senior [...]

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It is Unfair to Push Poor Countries to Reach Zero Carbon Emissions too Early

October 27, 2022

Last year, climate action was all about declaring dates for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. At the 2021 UN’s climate change conference in Glasgow, COP26, India pledged that it would reach net-zero by 2070, a date just 10 years behind China, despite its per capita emissions being some 30 years behind China’s and only half the present world average. COP27 is just days away, but this year many countries are distracted with energy security issues, instead of upping their game for more aggressive emissions cuts. This COP, we must shift the conversation from futuristic net-zero [...]

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Financing Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Developing Countries

October 10, 2022

The provision of international financial assistance to help developing countries undertake measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation is a fundamental element in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) under which the negotiations on climate change are being conducted. This paper attempts to quantify the scale and possible composition of international financial assistance that might be required to help developing countries fulfil the commitments undertaken in COP26. The paper is in four parts. Section I provides a brief historical review of how the commitment to provide financial assistance [...]

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