Over the past two decades, India has made incredible strides in improving access to reliable and affordable energy that is critical for economic growth. Hundreds of millions of households have been connected to the electricity grid for the first time. But the growing demand for energy in India has largely been met by abundant, inexpensive, and highly-polluting coal. As a result, India is now the fastest growing carbon emitter in the world, and annual concentrations of particulate pollution have increased by 60 percent between 2000 and 2016. These pollution and carbon emissions will only grow as hundreds of millions more citizens gain access to reliable electricity.

EPIC-India is partnering with government and industry at the national level and in nine states throughout the country to identify innovative policy ideas, pilot them on the ground, and rigorously measure outcomes. These projects—ranging from the world’s first emissions trading scheme for particulate pollution to a trailblazing five-star pollution rating scheme for industries—are improving the lives of more than 500 million Indians. These innovative partnerships and projects are “co-generated” with regulators to ensure the right questions are being answered. If the pilots are successful, they can then be scaled up and replicated in other Indian states and throughout the world.