Decarbonizing India’s road transport: a meta-analysis of road transport emissions models

A strong decarbonisation target for the road sector would steer India closer to its climate commitments and decarbonisation offers significant co-benefits like cleaner air and related health and well-being gains. Still, data about energy use and emissions that could provide the groundwork for policy supporting such a target is lacking, and few studies have attempted to compare modelling frameworks and projections across different models of India’s transport sector. To help fill the gap, this study is a meta-analysis of eight of India’s key road transport energy and emissions models. It compares key assumptions, energy use, and CO2 emissions by vehicles and fuel type; assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and considers how much emissions reduction could be achieved from the road transport sector by 2050 through aggressive policy efforts.