200 million hours. 8.3 million days. 1.19 million weeks. 274,000. 23,000 years.

That’s how much time women worldwide spend each day collecting water. In that same time span, humans moved from the Stone Age to the age of artificial intelligence, and yet, women in the Global South still spend the majority of their days collecting water. That’s time spent out of school. Time taken out of economic pursuits.

The priorities of the Global South remain different from those of the developed world, in part due to a poverty cycle that has deep roots in colonialism. At the core of efforts to reverse this lies plans for rapid economic growth, often without consideration for the environment. Even though the Global South includes some of the countries that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, investment in green growth and renewable technologies still takes a back seat to development – as was the case for most of the world’s industrialized countries in past decades.

And yet, there is a growing effort in India – the most populous country in the world, and currently one of the biggest emitters of carbon as well – to shift towards clean and green development. This is a promise for transformation – not just in the air we breathe in the Global South, but also the lives ordinary people live.

Key to this shift is the recognition that the wealthy industrialized nations, which continue to be responsible for the majority of emissions, should play a role in mitigating the damage. In a groundbreaking development, the establishment of the loss and damage fund was approved during the inaugural plenary session of the COP 28 summit in Dubai. This marked a significant achievement for developing nations, aiming to secure a commitment from affluent, environmentally impactful nations to offer financial assistance for existing environmental destruction. As of now, developed countries, largely accountable for the climate crisis, have committed a combined sum slightly exceeding $700 million to the loss and damage fund, which, however, represents less than 0.2% of the annual irreversible economic and non-economic losses that developing nations endure due to global warming.

India’s most recent plan is titled “Affordable and Clean Energy.” It’s not an entirely new idea: the country took its first step in that direction in the 1970s after the OPEC nations choked off energy supplies. “With the lack of availability of oil and controlled prices, some R&D pertaining to solar and wind energy started in India and the Department of Non-Conventional Energy was formed,” said Shirish Garud, Consultant, Electricity and Renewables Group at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

This year, the Indian government pledged to invest 350 billion rupees ($4.3 billion) towards industrial and economic transition with the goal of net zero emissions by 2070, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The “green growth” initiative represents the country’s fifth largest priority in the annual budget.

Due to its favorable location, India’s primary focus is on solar energy. “The country is working towards an ambitious target of achieving 50% of total electricity consumption through solar energy by 2030,” said Garud. He highlighted that coastal areas in southern India have significant potential for solar and wind projects.

The first goal of the solar mission is to make electricity accessible. The government’s claim that India is 100% electrified involves some sleight of hand: a village is considered electrified if only 10% of it has access to electricity. Solar power could transform that equation.

“We've learned that while light is an igniter of hope, it doesn't necessarily drive change alone,” said Sabah Vig, CEO of Chirag Rural Development Foundation, an NGO that enables solar power to develop and empower villages in India.

Depending primarily on corporate donations, the foundation aims to empower each village depending on its needs. Some villages need water pumps and solar cookers, while others may need electricity for schools and homes.

Solar power also drives access to water. “It's not only the pumping solution, it is about how far the perennial water source is from the village, how many households that are in the village and the kind of filtration required in the village,” said Vig.

Chirag’s goal is to empower the people by including them in every step of the planning process – which is imperative in a country like India, where the lack of awareness amongst laymen acts as an obstacle to the shift the country aims to make.

While foundations like Chirag aim to harness the power of the sun, there are for-profit companies that are working toward making a change closer to the ground.

“Our job is to stay connected,” said Vikram Prabakar, co-founder of a start-up based in India, called “Recykal,” which is a play on the Hindi word “kal,” meaning tomorrow. “When organizations are able to find a solution, we are to people who ensure they have the right materials on time.”

Recykal's mission is to provide sustainability solutions to a nation grappling with significant waste management challenges. The company revolutionized waste management and recycling in India by creating a managed marketplace offering digitized waste management solutions across various categories, including plastic, paper, metal, e-waste, tires, and batteries. Recykal's platform connects all stakeholders in the waste management and recycling ecosystem, bridging the gap between producers, waste generators, facilitators, and the myriad players within the Indian waste management industry. “We are creating the supply chain so that these organizations are able to focus on what they do best without distractions,” said Prabakar.

In Kedarnath, a pilgrimage site in North India, Recykal created a system responsible for a 60% return rate of plastic bottles for recycling. “We said to the district magistrate that the best way to do it is using …a deposit depending on the type of packaging which is returned[to] a collection center,” said Prabakar. The next goal is to introduce this system in Goa, a small state along the west coast.

The company has channeled 7 million metric tons of waste and has played a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of effective waste management in India. “We partnered with Google to build a… computer vision model that identifies the waste which is coming from each household,” says Prabakar. The information is available to the municipality, which uses it to educate those failing to segregate their waste. Properly separated waste can be reused to build energy sources that create a circular economy.

“Recykal is in early stages,” Prakabar said. “To be an early mover in this industry means that we need to a lot more heavy lifting than companies like us in the future.”

Unlike waste segregation, biogas is a fairly established mode of energy production in the country. It also is cost-effective when compared to natural gas drilling systems. Even though it is expensive, it solves multiple problems including waste management and methane emissions. “Moreover, it supports a circular economy by producing three products: clean fuel, digestate, and bio-fertilizer,” said Rahul Jain. “There needs to be an effort in policies to promote and develop [compressed biogas] stations so that these plants become sustainable,” he added. “This is a very huge investment that needs to be accessible for the country to work towards its goal of green growth.”

“It's a replacement for petrol and diesel in New Delhi,” said Rahul Jain. “The autos running in New Delhi are run on compressed natural gas. Biogas is equivalent to natural gas or even more environmentally friendly, which means that it leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Green growth also aids in creating more accessible spaces that are sustainable for citizens of largely populated cities like, New Delhi. “If you develop public transport closer to where people live, then there is more chance of them using them,” said Anushree Patil, Program Associate, Transport at the World Resources Institute, India, “If you're planning a residential area somewhere far removed from your metros, that means they're not going to come to a metro station and that might as well take out the car.”

“Research and development has always been there in the systems, but adapting that system and the local law conventions thing is a challenge,” said Dr. Anshul Gujarathi, founder and director of Eco Solutions, an environmental design firm. “But I think we are doing that.” “Things need to be analyzed before actually coming up with [green buildings’] design finalization.” She added, “during the design stage, if the working is done very, very effectively, the overall green building can be developed in the best possible way.”

“Taking a passive approach in design and spatial organization can significantly impact the outcome,” said Gujarathi. This involves making thoughtful choices about materials, wall-to-window ratios, and envelope requirements. Even accounting for the movement of the sun and how it influences areas of shadow and light is crucial. Sunlight can be controlled to ensure a balance between light and heat and reduce the need for air conditioning systems.

“Material selection needs to be thoughtful, considering longevity and sustainability, avoiding materials that degrade quickly,” said Dr. Sruthi Atmakur-Javdekar founder and director of GRIT - environmental design + research studio. “For instance, using local stones over imported ones and promoting the use of materials from the region or country leads to a more sustainable space that adapts to its region very comfortably.”

These transformed spaces not only have positive environmental effects, but also a deep impact psychologically.

Atmakur-Javdekar points to Pune, a city in the western state of Maharashtra with a population of 4.3 million, as an example of what’s possible. “Pune has the potential for an integrated blue-green network. Leveraging its natural blessings of rivers and hills is something the city could do.” She says that a corridor connecting hills and rivers, allowing for a continuous walking path through the city's natural landscapes could provide a seamless experience where individuals can traverse from one hill to another via the river, stopping at waterfronts and taking in the beauty of the city giving residents of densely populated cities a deeper connection to nature. This is important for higher productivity, which in turn leads to economic growth. The economic growth further gives India more capital to invest in “green growth.”

Near Jaipur, the capital city of the northwestern state of Rajasthan, is a village called Hingonia, which is the home to a cow rehabilitation center. This center fosters abandoned, old, and “useless” cows. The center also hosts a biomethane plant which uses the cow dung produced by these cows and converts it into compressed biogas. “For every 100 tons, this plant has the ability to produce 3 tons of gas, which exceeds the generally produced amount of 2 tons,” said Premanand Nitai Das, the Assistant Program Coordinator of the Hingonia Cow Rehabilitation Center. “Since compressed biogas uses methane, we’re able to capture 95% of the methane released by the cow dung and use it, as opposed to the 100% that would have gone into the atmosphere if the plant did not exist.”

The gas from the plant is sold directly to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, associated with International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON. The foundation uses the proceeds to provide mid-day meals to children in government schools. “The mid-day meal program in India was started nearly 30 years ago, incentivising children from lower socio-economic backgrounds to attend free schooling, with a free meal,” said Raghupati Dasa, Deputy Vice President of the foundation’s Rajasthan chapter. Biogas procured from the Hingonia Cow Rehabilitation Center is helping them save 18% of what they previously spent for the foundation. “We’re able to mobilize the savings to provide more nutritious food to the children in schools,” said Dasa. Completing the circle,the waste produced in the kitchen during the preparation of the meals is sent back to the Hingonia plant, which uses it as biomass.

Assisting vulnerable communities is at the forefront of Chirag Foundation’s plan. They’re doing this by transitioning from traditional community solar electrification programs to more comprehensive initiatives like the Integrated Village Development Program and Integrated School Development Program led by project Chirag. “These programs aim to uplift and empower vulnerable communities, particularly in rural areas, focusing on creating human agency and initiating lasting changes beyond energy provision,” said Vig.

Over the course of 13 years, they have reached more than 750 villages across 11 states, engaging with over 150,000 rural citizens. They have harnessed the potential of solar for more than their initial goal of electrification.

“Safety is one of the most overlooked needs of rural India… Most of these regions are forest regions. So, animal injuries are common, because your sanitation facilities – if you have them at all – are outside the house,” said Vig, “We always try to make sure that there are at least some amount of streetlights in the village or we're able to give the villagers at least solar powered portable lamps for safety.”

Unlike conventional electricity, with a one-time capital expenditure, the cost of solar systems vary, influenced by specific applications and the need for power storage.

“The capital equipment is being provided by [donors], which means there is no need for initial investment by the villagers,” she said. “So, if I suddenly have solar light in my house or I have portable lamps – I'm able to run my store, I'm able to spend more time on the field. When time goes by, I am able to afford to replace that battery. When it's required, I am able to then afford more light,” she added.

While the increasing use of solar panels in India is largely a positive sign, unregulated growth poses a huge problem. In 2010, the government issued a notification that no environmental review was required before setting up a solar power plant. “This has severe implications for the drainage, biodiversity and geomorphology for the land in question,” said Ishan Purohit, an Energy Specialist at the International Finance Corporation, a part of the World Bank Group.

There’s also the question of disposing of panels that are no longer functioning. The panels have a life of about 25 years, and India has been setting up solar power infrastructure since around 2010. “Our policy is silent on that,” said Purohit. “After the next 12 years, are we going to become the world’s biggest dump yard?”

Green tech in India is not limited to energy generation and architecture. India’s population has a causal relationship with the amount of vehicles on its roads. As a solution to the emissions caused by fuel based transport, the government is steadily phasing out pollution-creating vehicles that use fossil fuels of petrol and diesel. The solution as its replacement is electric vehicles for now,” said Nimisha Tiwari, Founder of www.LinkITBlueCollar.com, a start-up that specializes in “Urban Employability” and provides EVs to the mostly young female workers whose jobs depend on two-wheeler transportation, such as food delivery app workers. “The cost of running an EV is very low as the battery can be charged again as many times. It’s almost 80 percent cheaper as a fuel alternative compared to the cost incurred with petrol or diesel,” she added. “It’s also free of direct emissions, which is much needed at a time when the Air Quality Index in cities like New Delhi or Mumbai exceeds [hazardous levels] sometimes.”

Solutions are also being developed through emission absorption technology. Carbon capture using micro-algae is seeing growth in this field. Dhruv Jain, CEO of Algreen Ltd. is working on distributed scale carbon capture systems for households, offices, and universities. These machines absorb carbon and release oxygen at high rates, offering a simple and maintenance-free solution to customers.

These methods could have a profound impact, developing an industrial-scale product involving 100,000 liters of microalgae to help industries offset carbon and generate biomass once the life of the microalgae is over.

“Current offsetting practices merely shift supply chains without directly addressing carbon absorption,” said Dhruv Jain. “We are aiming to provide real-time carbon absorption solutions that make a significant difference for the environment,” he added.

As entrepreneurs and scientists escalate efforts to make India a cleaner and greener country to live in, every success invites more investment into their work, but the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070 can’t be done without foreign aid. “There should be free technology design flow from developed countries to nations like India, specifically in the case of renewable energy, so that the world can move towards this change in a rapid and cost friendly manner,” said Rahul Jain.

This investment in green growth in not only beneficial to India economically and environmentally, but also has, and will continue having a profound impact on the poor and marginalized communities in the country. For example, clean water contributes to empowerment within communities. Fetching water, which can be a time-consuming and physically demanding task, often results in girls dropping out of school. When mothers have access to clean water and are freed from the demanding duty of water-fetching, they can engage in financially productive activities, enhancing their influence and decision-making power within the household.

“In many regions, the burden of fetching water often falls on women and girls, compelling them to walk long distances, dedicating valuable time to this task,” said Vig. “Access to clean water eliminates this need, freeing girls to focus on their education and engage in productive activities. This delay in early marriages can have a profound and positive influence on the lives of these young girls, offering them a chance for a brighter and more empowered future.”