India’s Second Biennial Update Report:Five Key Takeaways

India submitted its second Biennial Update Report (BUR II) to the UNFCCC on 31 December 2018, which builds upon the information presented in the Second National Communication (SNC). Being a non-Annex I party to the Convention, India like many other developing nations has to fulfil its reporting obligation of furnishing BURs every two years to intimate its climate mitigation efforts. Biennial reporting is aimed at highlighting trends in the national greenhouse gas inventory, mitigation actions, need for climate-friendly technologies, finance, capacity-building and lastly existing domestic Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) mechanisms. The comprehensiveness and depth of information present in BUR II, have increased considerably in comparison to its earlier version (BUR I). This paper suggests points relevant for improvizing on key aspects related to energy demands, MRV and the technology transfer process.