As a onetime R&D engineer, I have confidence that many difficult technology problems can be solved at a price. And the price is going down as use becomes widespread. But the main issue is motivating people to embrace the innovations which must be within their financial capacity. Transitioning to carbon free energy is critical to keeping any economy going. The annual per capita CO2 generation in India is about 1.6 mmt compared to 16 .2 mmt of the USA. Even with a trebling in electricity demand in India , CO2 generation will be one-third the US level per capita in 2030-35. Electricity demand in a country like India where per capita consumption( based on total consumption across all sectors divided by the population) is about 1100 kwh per year now, is likely to triple by 2035 as incomes increase and more electrical gadgets are purchased. Individual household demand may be half of this, the rest is from the public sector. Contrast this with USA where average per capita consumption is about 7200 kwh and Singapore and Japan at 3700 kwh. This is partly due to smaller size homes . But this says something about energy efficiency of the USA given that most home heating is with natural gas which is not reflected in these numbers. Substantial improvements in energy efficiency can be achieved both through demand and supply side measures. The cost of battery storage is falling rapidly and grid storage capacity in the USA is increasing with new facilities being constructed at the scale of 350 mwh such as the ones in San Diego and Florida. Tesla is planning to install battery storage of 10 gwh in a pilot plant soon with the goal of expanding to 200 gwh. The new Tesla 4680 Bell model battery has a 500% higher energy density than the old model. The new design involving tabless cells and supercharging will increase range significantly. This is absolutely necessary for enabling the transition to net zero in transport by allowing EV trucks. See Tesla Annual Report 2020. About 65% of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 22% by hydroelectric power plants, 3% by nuclear power plants and rest ( 10%) from other alternate sources like solar, wind, biomass etc. 53.7% of India's total commercial energy demand is met through the country's vast coal reserves. The issue is will battery manufacturers be willing to share the know how with developing countries at low cost for facilitating the achievement of GHG targets? A 50% reduction in emissions is needed by 2030 to maintain the trajectory of limiting the global mean temperature target to below by 2050. Given the challenges in all sectors and particularly in heavy industries, what stepped up actions need to be emphasized? Your observation about the social cost of carbon(SCC) is important. Biden just announced an increase of the SCC from the Trump administration's $1-$7 per ton of CO2 to $51 per ton with the possibility of it increasing to $125/ton. All coal power plants will have to close. However, no programs to create new jobs for the coal miners have been announced. For this is to pass muster, a comprehensive study needs to be initiated examining what is the best strategy for the area and sector's development and what are the new areas where jobs can be created to suit the current labor force as well as new entrants. Coal mining jobs can't be simply replaced with renewable energy jobs.