The Supreme Court has directed the Ministry of Power to formulate a joint action plan with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to address carbon emissions from electricity generation. Emphasizing the urgency of coordinated climate action, the court said that stakeholders must come together on a common platform to create and implement a cohesive strategy.
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar, in its July 22 order, highlighted that without aligning policies with ground realities, the challenge of emissions cannot be effectively tackled. The court also stressed the need for better coordination between policy-makers and implementing agencies.
The directive came during the hearing of a petition linked to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, which had called for assessing the climate impact of projects before granting environmental clearance. The apex court made CEA and CERC parties to the case and instructed the Power Ministry to submit a joint affidavit detailing the proposed plan within four weeks.
Citing its earlier order from February 21, 2025, the court reiterated that climate change is now a global crisis, manifesting through extreme weather events like heatwaves, irregular rainfall, floods, and droughts. The court underlined that collective and structured efforts are essential to confront this escalating threat.
According to a report submitted by the amicus curiae, the power sector contributes around 8% to the country’s total carbon emissions, while the construction sector accounts for 30%. Emissions from crop residue burning and waste management also add significantly to the total. The Centre, through the Ministry of Environment, has submitted a separate affidavit detailing ongoing measures to curb emissions in the power sector.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 19 and expects all stakeholders to present a clear roadmap by then. The Supreme Court’s firm stance indicates that stricter norms for carbon emissions in the power sector may be on the horizon.
