Development, energy security and climate change are closely linked issues. Since India gained independence in 1947, policy making has prioritised economic development with the aim of eradicating widespread poverty. This emphasis on economic growth and a long neglect of environmental issues have resulted in a polluted and degraded environment, in which deforestation, desertification, soil degradation, water and air pollution, growth of urban slums and unhygienic living conditions have featured prominently. Effects of climate change on various sectors will further compound these problems.