Towards methodologies for multiple objective-based energy and climate policy

India faces a challenging decade ahead in energy and climate policymaking. The problems are multiple: sputtering fossil fuel production capabilities; limited access to electricity and modern cooking fuels for the poorest; rising fuel imports in an unstable global energy context; continued electricity pricing and governance challenges leading to costly deficits or surplus supply; and not least, growing environmental contestation around land, water and air. But all is not bleak: growing energy efficiency programmes; integrated urbanisation and transport policy discussions; inroads to enhancing energy access and security; and bold renewable energy initiatives, even if not fully conceptualised, suggest the promise of transformation. However one adds the scorecard, there is no doubt that energy decision-making is ever more complex and interconnected. The domestic energy policy context is made further challenging by the overlay of global climate negotiations. The Paris 2015 climate conference required every country to submit its intended climate contribution. India’s international pledge, submitted in early October 2015, includes a reduction of emissions intensity by 33%–35% from 2005, and an increase of the share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity to 40% of total capacity. This pledge has significant domestic energy implications, since energy accounts for 77% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (WRI 2014). In short, India’s energy future requires addressing multiple and simultaneous challenges, that together suggest great complexity. Historically, the country’s policymaking has adopted a rather straightforward supply orientation: can past …