Track 11: Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS)
Key Details
Submission Requirements: Extended Abstract (1000 words)
Submission Link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=imrc2025
Awards: Two Best Papers: INR 10,000 each
Call for Papers
As the world races to limit temperature rise within 1.5° to 2°C, achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is a critical challenge. Aimed at advancing research and practice on climate-resilient, low-emission development, we invite submissions for the Low Emissions Development Strategies (LEDS) Track at IMRC 2025. We welcome both academic research papers and practitioner-oriented contributions that provide innovative insights into climate transition pathways.
Achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is now central to the global climate agenda, as is often highlighted by IPCC. Yet, emissions are structurally embedded with economic development, making the transition both urgent and complex. Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), endorsed by over 75 Parties to the UNFCCC, provide strategic frameworks for navigating this transition while promoting economic resilience.
These strategies align with countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and help integrate climate action into national development plans. The 2023 UNFCCC Synthesis Report highlights how LT-LEDS are evolving – with increased emphasis on mitigation-adaptation integration, financial planning, and system-wide transformation. India’s own LT-LEDS, with its target of net-zero by 2070, exemplifies a just and balanced approach that prioritizes energy security, growth, and climate justice.
In a world of accelerating climate change and shifting development priorities, there is a growing need for continuous research and practical insights to shape and reassess LEDS. This track seeks to bring together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the policy, technological, financial, and socio-economic dimensions of net-zero transitions and to exchange ideas that inform both national and global pathways.
Join us in advancing research and dialogue on effective LT-LEDS implementation within the following broad themes:
- India’s LT-LEDS Submission: Strategic analysis and policy insights
- Energy Transition: Renewable energy integration, energy efficiency, and grid decarbonization
- Urban LEDS & Planning: Smart cities, urban analytics, transportation decarbonization, cultural preservation, and climate-resilient infrastructure
- Agriculture, Forestry & Other Land Use (AFOLU) Mitigation: Sustainable agriculture, reforestation, food systems transformation, and community stewardship
- Financing LT-LEDS: Role of public-private partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and implementation strategies
Submission Guidelines
We invite extended abstracts (approx. 1000 words) related to the track theme or any other aspect of LT-LEDS research in line with IMRC’s aims and research priorities. All submissions will be evaluated by the IMRC Scientific Quality team and a very limited number of high-quality submissions which have a potential to be published in top tier field journals will be accepted. However, a limited number of papers that may not be academic but have a very clear and strong policy focus and/or create a novel discourse will also be accepted.
Join us in shaping the next chapter of climate-resilient development.