Frontrunners: Policy briefs to inform national governments on the economic and social benefits of action for sustainable cities.

This paper analyses lessons from India, where electricity consumption is set to triple by 2040. It finds that clear national leadership supporting municipal authorities to incorporate innovative business models that help low income households to access renewable energy is critical. If new approaches used in New Delhi were adopted nationwide, they would deliver 8 gigawatts of additional solar capacity by 2022, reduce energy bills for 2.6 million households, create 100,000–150,000 jobs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 megatonnes a year—the equivalent of closing four large coal-fired power stations.

This policy brief is one of a series: ‘Frontrunners’, on innovative climate actions in cities around the world. The objective of this series is to strengthen the evidence on the economic and social implications of low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development. The series focuses on providing robust data on actual or ex post outcomes of climate action, ranging from better public health to job creation to greater equity. Each case study explores some of the preconditions for the successful design and delivery of urban climate action and provides national policy recommendations that could enhance their effectiveness and benefits.