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Leaders from AWS and Microsoft, Bestselling Author Walter Isaacson Headline Innovation and Technology Programming at CERAWeek by S&P Global 2023

HOUSTON , Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky; bestselling author and leading technology thinker, Walter Isaacson; Bloom Energy CEO, KR Sridhar; circular economy thought leader William McDonough; U.S. Department of Energy Loans Program Office director, Jigar Shah; Microsoft Energy partner and general manager, Dave Wisenteiner and Center for Science and Environment (CSE) director general, Sunita Narain will be among the technology and innovation speakers at CERAWeek by S&P Global 2023—the world's preeminent energy conference—to be held in Houston March 6-10. CERAWeek 2023: Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security will examine how a new era of global uncertainty and change is reshaping challenges and opportunities for the energy transition. The conference will explore strategies and solutions for reducing emissions while meeting growing energy demand—all as the world grapples with shifting geopolitics, economic uncertainty and the upheaval of war. The CERAWeek Innovation Agora will serve as the center of technology and innovation programming at the conference. Featuring a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials, the Innovation Agora will showcase transformational technology platforms—including presentations from more than 225 start-ups—in the energy space ranging from carbon management, energy efficiency, hydrogen, nuclear, digital, cybersecurity, robotics, mobility, built environment and much more. The CERAWeek Innovation Agora program is available to all CERAWeek registrants and will comprise a series of thought-provoking conversations, presentations and discussions, including its signature Voices of Innovation series of intimate, one-on-one conversations with thought leaders, Agora Studio sessions featuring moderated dialogues with 2-3 guest speakers on emerging and disruptive technologies, as well Agora Pods featuring demonstrations and case studies. Start-ups and entrepreneurs will also compete in the Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) Energy Ventures Pitch Competition, where businesses that are focused on providing cleaner and more sustainable energy, while also meeting global energy needs reliably and affordably, will be evaluated by a special judging panel of venture capitalists. The 2023 program will also feature the new "Clean Energy Commons" fostering connections for the innovation ecosystem as well as expanded Agora Hubs—dedicated areas focused on hydrogen, carbon and climate. Key topics to be explored in the Agora Hubs include: Hydrogen Hub Hydrogen policy and geopolitics: Setting the strategic vision Utilizing low-carbon solutions and industrial end-user applications Geographies of hydrogen Hydrogen's impact on cars, trucks, aviation and mobility Hydrogen in power and gas markets Carbon Hub Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), direct air capture (DAC) Nature-based solutions Decarbonization oil and gas chain Methane Biofuels Technology, business models and finance Climate Hub Science and modeling Infrastructure Global impact Policy and geopolitics Business and finance Energy industry "The CERAWeek Innovation Agora has grown tremendously, reflecting the great wave of investment in new approaches and solutions to the greatest energy and environmental challenges," said James Rosenfield, Senior Vice President, S&P Global and co-chairman of CERAWeek. "The Agora brings together a unique community of traditional energy companies, start-ups, technology companies, innovation thought leaders and pioneers and investors—all focused on transformative technologies. The need for these solutions has never been clearer as the world looks to keep pace with an accelerating energy transition while also meeting the growing demand for stable, secure and reliable supplies in an era of increasing volatility and disruption. "Whether it is digitalization, AI, energy efficiency and connectivity; hydrogen, nuclear, cybersecurity, additive manufacturing and mobility; or the latest decarbonization technologies and fuels of the future, the remarkable community that will convene at CERAWeek demonstrates that technology and energy are synonymous in shaping our future." "That energy and technology are intertwined has never been more evident, and that is reflected in the CERAWeek 2023 program," said Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, S&P Global and CERAWeek conference chair. "This year's conference theme, 'Navigating a Turbulent World' speaks to a new era of global uncertainty and change, one that presents fresh challenges for energy availability and security amid the ongoing energy transition. The convergence of energy and technology—and the innovations that come from it—will be at the forefront in meeting these challenges." Learn more about the CERAWeek Innovation Agora program at: https://ceraweek.com/program/innovation-agora.html CERAWeek by S&P Global is the premier annual international gathering of the world's energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, as well as leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities. The conference is produced by S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). The CERAWeek 2023 conference program will explore key themes related to: The Energy Trilemma: Balancing security, transition and affordability Geopolitics and Geoeconomics: An era of volatility Competitive Landscape, Technology and Innovation Financing the Energy Future: The capital transition Supply Chains, Commodity Markets and Energy Transition Future Workforce: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and next-generation skills Visit www.ceraweek.com for a complete list of speakers and the most up-to-date program information (subject to change). Registration Information CERAWeek by S&P Global 2023 will be held March 6-10 at the Hilton Americas—Houston. Further information and delegate registration is available at www.ceraweek.com. Media Accreditation Media registration is now open. Members of the media interested in covering CERAWeek 2023 are required to apply for accreditation. Applications are subject to approval and can be submitted at the following link: https://reg.ceraweek.com/flow/spglobal/ceraweek2023/cw23registration/login. Select "Media" from the list of registration options to submit your application. About S&P Global S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world's leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world's leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today. News Media Contacts: Jeff Marn S&P Global +1 202 463 8213 Jeff.marn@spglobal.com SOURCE S&P Global

Mumbai: 13,444 people died of respiratory ailments in 5 years

As per available data, over 1,000 succumbed to pneumonia and asthma alone. Mumbai’s poor air quality led to 13,444 deaths due to respiratory diseases such as acute bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia between 2017 and 2021. As per available data, over 1,000 succumbed to pneumonia and asthma alone. Experts said that though smoking, genetic diseases and poor air quality are all key factors, industrial pollution, vehicular exhaust and occupational asthma can’t be ruled out as reasons. A pulmonologist from a private-run hospital said that “people dying of pneumonia are either over 65 years old or infants younger than a year.” Early detection is the key A senior health official from the civic health department said that early detection is key to curing most of these infections. They said once such infections are in late stages, most people cannot afford financially burdening treatment. According to a 2020 study by the Centre for Science and Environment in four major industrial clusters around Mumbai – the Trans-Thane Creek, Taloja, Ambernath and Dombivali – the massive use of coal in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is also a key factor for the deteriorating air quality. Dr Parthiv Shah, a pulmonologist at the Apex Group of Hospital (Borivali) said, “Air pollution has increased tremendously in Mumbai and surrounding areas. We are also experiencing strange weather conditions such as nippy mornings and hot afternoons. The elderly, children and pregnant women are especially affected by such weather.

Two schools from Ekm bag CSE’s ‘green’ tag

Kochi: Two schools from Ernakulam bagged the ‘green’ tag in the Green School Programme (GSP), conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi. The certifications, conducted by CSE every year, are based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual audit of resource management and environment-friendly practices within school campuses. Global Public School (GPS), Thiruvaniyur, and SBOA Public (Sr Sec) School, Ernakulam, were certified ‘green’ by CSE this year. GPS also bagged the Changemaker award, given to schools that have monitored their resource consumption and improved them. The award presented by Sunita Narain, director general, CSE was accepted by GPS students Catherin Geo Maria and Zara Varghese and teacher Elizabeth Varghese at a function held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Kusum Richard was the green school coordinator at the school and the project was coordinated by the vice-principal, Susanna Sunil. Each school which undertook the audit was assessed by the GSP on its resource consumption practices in six areas – water management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, air pollution control, land and biodiversity management, and food systems. Six other schools from Kerala also were among the 106 schools from across India that secured the green tag. Around 20 other schools from Kerala took part in the programme. As many as 10 of them bagged ‘yellow’ tags, which is lower to green. While nine schools bagged ‘orange’ tags, which is the next rating level, one school bagged ‘red’ tag, which is the lowest rating. A total of 707 schools from various parts of the country took part in the GSP this year. tnn

When 'Age Of Development' Started, It Was A Blunder From Economy To Ecology

After three decades, it was realized that the concept of 'Development' has added up to the blunders as there was degradation from economy to ecology. There was a huge income inequality not only in undeveloped countries but also in developed countries. At the same time, the global climate was hampered and depleted. It was a Thursday in 1949, and on January 20, then-US President Harry S. Truman used the word "development" in his speech. Two-third of the world's population allegedly became underdeveloped. Being the new world rulers, "US and Developed countries" had a huge obligation to care for them and develop them into developed nations, just like their predecessors who sought to civilise the world, also known as "White men's burden." The Age of Development then started. The United Nations' primary goal from 1960 to 1970 was the first Development Decade. As the introduction to the Secretary-General’s report on Proposals for Action states: “At the opening of the United Nations development decade, we are beginning to understand the real aims of development and the nature of the development process. We are learning that development concerns not only man’s material needs but also the improvement of the social conditions of his life and his broad human aspirations. Development is not just economic growth, it is growth plus change.” To develop, undeveloped countries now had to imitate the developed or industrialized countries to go through the makeover with the help of the blueprint provided by the west. The age of development continued for the next three decades with propaganda and aid as per the economic blueprint again provided by the west. After three decades it was realized that the concept of 'Development' has added up to the blunders as there was degradation from economy to ecology. There was a huge income inequality not only in undeveloped countries but also in developed countries. At the same time, the global climate was hampered and depleted. The whole narrative of Development went wrong and it had to be replaced by another new concept of Sustainable Development in the year 2015. Now the objectives of the UN moved towards attaining sustainable development worldwide. Since then, "sustainable development" has evolved into a catchphrase and a fundamental component of all organisations' plans and agendas. The 'Sustainable Development Goals' and achieving them are the main emphasis of everything from the G20's aims to academic programmes held in schools and colleges. As per the definition by the UN, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income: To promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection. The Indian government is likewise making every effort to achieve these objectives. The ecosystem of India, however, has a different tale to tell. A paradoxical scenario seems to develop between the SDG and the impulse to climb the growth ladder. When we discuss SDGs, they conflict with the growth-related criteria. The Himalayan catastrophe and the cracks that are emerging in Joshimath's homes illustrate how the aims of sustainable development are being subverted by the economics and politics of growth and greed. The ecosystem has been depleted as a result of initiatives like the Tapovan-Vishnugad Hydroelectric Project, tunnels constructed for "Run of River" projects, and an 889-km All Weather Road project to boost tourism in Uttarakhand, to name a few. Despite warnings from scientists, environmentalists and guidelines by National Green Tribunal this developmental work is “in progress”. These areas of Uttarakhand have already been declared fragile as they come under the seismic zone. The Char Dham project to promote tourism and develop accessibility to the four shrines; Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath has created havoc in the name of development. Ruthless deforestation and uprooting of vegetation can have a perilous effect on ecological balance. For the past few years, overburdened with the unmindful course of development, the Himalayan crisis is spearheading in almost many districts of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag, Tehri, Nainital, Pauri, Bageshwar, and Uttarkashi all seem to be waiting for their part of Development just like the cracks appearing in Joshimath or like the floods in Chamoli. The story goes the same for the plains too, Jharkhand is endowed with the gift of natural resources and this has been a curse and the cause of its degradation. According to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment, 69 per cent of its land is degraded. Unscientific way of coal mining has not only degraded the soil but also the major rivers which include Damodar and Subarnarekha. Illegal Mica mining has been the cause of hazardous health diseases. Despite its growing contribution to GDP, it is the second poorest state after Bihar according to Niti Aayogs first Multidimensional Poverty Index. Odisha resonates with the same story. According to the annual activity report 2019-20 of the Forest and Environment Department, Most of the forest lands have been diverted for mining projects, irrigation projects, transmission projects, industry projects, exploration of minerals and small public utility projects. As many as 18,500,748 trees were felled between 2010-11 to 2020-21 for widening and building roads, as per the Forest and Environment minister of Odisha, Bikram Keshari Arukh. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh follow the same policy. The socioeconomic aspects have already been negatively impacted by global climate change over the past few years, and the tendency to grow further compounds the problems by undermining the objectives of sustainable development. The consequences are chaos. Many floods, droughts, health risks, and losses of life and property are on the rise. Environmentalists, campaigners, and scientists are either disregarded or kept silent while the looting goes on. SDG is still mentioned frequently in every forum, though. History does indeed repeat itself because we either fail to learn from our mistakes or have a tendency to learn from them.

Solan News: ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम में हिमाचल प्रदेश देश में पहले स्थान पर

हिमाचल प्रदेश के नौ स्कूलों को अपने परिसरों को पर्यावरण के अनुकूल बनाए रखने के लिए ग्रीन स्कूल पुरस्कारों से नवाजा गया है। सबसे ज्यादा स्कूल इस श्रेणी में आने के चलते हिमाचल प्रदेश को देश भर में ग्रीन स्कूल कार्यक्रम में पहला स्थान मिला। दूसरे स्थान पर आंध्र प्रदेश और तीसरे स्थान पर पंजाब रहा। सरकार की एजेंसी सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) के ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम (जीएसपी) के तहत हिमाचल के नौ स्कूलों को सम्मानित किया गया। इनमें जिला सोलन के छह, दो हमीरपुर और जिला चंबा का एक स्कूल शामिल है। मंगलवार को दिल्ली में हिमाचल प्रदेश विज्ञान, प्रौद्योगिकी एवं पर्यावरण परिषद के सदस्य सचिव ललित जैन और जिला विज्ञान समन्वयक अमरीश शर्मा ने यह पुरस्कार प्राप्त किए। अमरीश शर्मा ने बताया कि पिछले चार वर्षों से लगातार पर्यावरण के अनुकूल माहौल बनाए रखने के लिए सोलन को प्रदेश का सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिला घोषित किया गया। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के ऑनलाइन पोर्टल पर ऑडिट के लिए कार्यक्रम के तहत प्रदेश के 114 निजी और सरकारी स्कूलों ने पर्यावरण से संबंधित स्कूल में कूड़ा निष्पादन का तरीका, बिजली की खपत सहित अन्य कई विषयों पर जानकारी अपलोड की थी। इसमें सोलन से 61, हमीरपुर से 18, ऊना से 13, सिरमौर से 11, बिलासपुर से तीन, कांगड़ा से दो, कुल्लू से दो, शिमला से दो, चंबा और मंडी से एक-एक स्कूल ने जानकारी अपलोड की थी। इसमें से नौ स्कूलों को ग्रीन स्कूल पुरस्कारों से नवाजा गया है। इन स्कूलों को मिला सम्मान राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक मॉडल स्कूल छात्र नालागढ़, वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक स्कूल बद्दी, शिवालिक वैली स्कूल सोलन, एमआर डीएवी स्कूल सोलन, दून वैली पब्लिक स्कूल सोलन, कसौली इंटरनेशनल स्कूल सोलन, हाई स्कूल गुलेला जिला हमीरपुर, हिम एकेडमी पब्लिक स्कूल विकास नगर जिला हमीरपुर और राजकीय माध्यमिक स्कूल जिला चंबा को ग्रीन पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया है। हिमगिरी स्कूल को मिला राष्ट्र स्तरीय भूमि प्रंबधन स्कूल अवार्ड सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायर्नमेंट ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम जीएसपी अवार्ड 2022-23 के तहत राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक पाठशाला हिमगिरी को पूरे भारत में सर्वश्रेष्ठ भूमि प्रबंधन स्कूल अवार्ड से नवाजा गया है। दिल्ली में आयोजित इस कार्यक्रम में 28 राज्यों और 8 केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों के चयनित स्कूलों ने इसमें भाग लिया। राष्ट्र स्तरीय अवार्ड के लिए जिला चंबा से चार स्कूलों आदर्श कन्या वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक पाठशाला चंबा, राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक पाठशाला भरमौर, बाट और डलहौजी ने भाग लिया। राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक स्कूल हिमगिरी से प्रधानाचार्य जगदीश और विज्ञान पर्यवेक्षक गौरव वैद ने बताया कि सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायर्नमेंटर स्कूल प्रोग्राम जीएसपी अवार्ड 2022-23 के लिए 28 राज्य और 8 केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों को पछाड़ कर हिमाचल ने बेस्ट हरित स्टेट अवार्ड जीता है। इसके तहत आकांक्षी जिला चंबा के लिए यह अत्यंत हर्ष का विषय है कि जिला चंबा के एक ग्रामीण स्कूल ने पूरे भारत सर्वश्रेष्ठ भूमि प्रबंधन स्कूल अवार्ड जीता है। यह अवार्ड नारायण डायरेक्टर जनरल ऑफ इंडिया सीएसई सुनीता नारायण ने दिए। इस मौके पर हिमाचल प्रदेश कौंसिल ऑफ साइंस टेक्नोलॉजी एंड एन्वायर्नमेंट के निदेशक ललित जैन ने दिल्ली में ये पुरस्कार प्राप्त किया। जबकि, चंबा की तरफ से विज्ञान पर्यवेक्षक गौरव वैद, विद्यालय के प्रधानाचार्य और जीवन ने यह इनाम प्राप्त किया। शिक्षा विभाग के उपनिदेशक प्यार सिंह चाढ़क, उप जिला शिक्षा अधिकारी उमाकांत आनंद ने सभी सहयोगियों, अध्यापकों व प्रतिभागी विद्यार्थियों को इसके लिए बधाई दी है।

CSE’s Green Schools Programme Honours 106 Greenest Schools In India

Himachal Pradesh bags the Best Green State Award, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Punjab One hundred six schools from across India were certified ‘green’ this week at a ceremony conducted by Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green School Programme (GSP). Of these, 19 schools received the topmost Annual Green School Awards for their exemplary initiatives in making their campuses environment-friendly and their students, environment-conscious. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers, the “best state” and “best district” etc. CSE director general Sunita Narain and executive director Jagdeep Gupta handed out the awards to the winners. The awards, given every year by CSE, are based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual audit of resource management and environment-friendly practices within the school campuses; this audit is conducted by the schools themselves with CSE’s help. The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking. Souparno Banerjee, senior director, environment education, CSE Over seven hundred schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 19 of these received the top awards, and 106 were tagged as ‘green’. 436 government schools, 55 government-aided schools and 216 private schools participated in the audit. Each school which undertook the audit, was assessed by the Green Schools Programme on its resource consumption practices in six areas – water management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, air pollution control, land and biodiversity management, and food systems followed. Speaking after handing over the awards, Narain said: “We are re-engaging onsite after a gap of three years, but it seems like we never went away. The vibrancy and enthusiasm with which schools, their children and teachers have joined the 2022-23 audit, the efforts they have put in, is a tribute to the promise they hold, and foretells a future that is full of hope. I congratulate all the winners and green schools, as well as the larger GSP family.”

Starting young: 106 schools certified green for best practices, 13 of them from Delhi

NEW DELHI: Buying electric vehicles, recycling and using AC water in laboratories, installing float valves and spill-proof taps, and imposing a ban on packaged food are some of the best practices adopted by schools in their bid to go green. On Tuesday, 106 such schools from across the country were awarded the green tag by Centre for Science and Environment and almost all of them have adopted basic environment-friendly steps like building composting pits, rainwater harvesting and using solar energy. green_school_delhi In the annual Green School Programme award, Himachal Pradesh received the best state award. Out the 700 schools that took part in the green audit, 114 were from HP. Sharing the state's concept of Waste Cafe, a government official said, "It is a government scheme under which each school has a waste cafe. Students are encouraged to get their plastic waste and dump them at a corner in the school or in the canteen. For one kg of plastic waste, we pay Rs 75 or the equivalent decided by schools. The waste is used for making bitumen and 70km of road has already been built using it." A HP government school in Chamba assigns three plants to each student, and they take care of it. From Delhi, 24 schools took part and 13 of them received the green tag. East Point School, Vasundhara Enclave and Sachdeva Global School, Dwarka won an award for maintaining the green tag and implementing a green and sustainable policy for the past five years. East Point School uses no petrol and diesel, its lighting is 100% LED, and it does waste segregation at source and on-site paper recycling. "We also have vertical gardens in our classrooms and teachers encourage us to not use plastic and to become green warriors," said a student. Sachdeva Global School has totally banned plastic. Its 55% area is green and it also has a kitchen and herbal garden. A school in National Capital Region, Cambridge School at Indirapuram, recycles the waste water of ACs and uses it in laboratories. Shiv Nadar School at Noida grows its own vegetables, and has banned packaged and synthetic food. Many participant schools use sustainable and non-polluting modes of transport, with some even having electric vehicles. MM Public School in Delhi has developed a solar grass cutter, with solar panels fitted on top of it.

Delhi’s daily waste burden at 11.3k tonnes, treatment slow

Delhi generates 11,332 tonnes of solid waste every day, according to a latest estimate by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), even as the civic body said that 4,360 tonnes of this garbage ends up at the city’s three landfill sites. According to a report by MCD and the Delhi government’s environment department,daily waste generation in the city has gone up from 11,094 tonnesin 2021-22 to 11,332 tonnes in 2022-23. The report showed that areas under MCD had the most growth in waste generation, of about 200 tonnes, while it grew by 37.27 tonnes in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas and by 72 tonnes from Delhi Cantonment areas. Delhi has a massive municipal solid waste management problem with the massive landfills at Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa at the centre of the issue. Despite attempts to remove at least 28 million tonnes of legacy waste dumped at these landfills, the city continues to dump fresh waste at these sites, affecting the progress of attempts to flatten the dump sites. According to the report, the city currently processes 61.5% of the total waste it generates per day, and MCD plans to achieve 86.4% processing capacity by December this year. The civic body uses trommelling and bio-mining to separate the waste, and burns it to generate electricity at the waste to energy plants. The report said that Delhi generated 11,038.335 tonnes of waste every day in 2020-21 and 11,094.7 tonnes last year. A municipal official from the department of environment management services (DEMS) or sanitation said four new waste processing projects are expected to be made operational this year, including the expansion of the waste to energy plant in Okhla, the bio-CNG plant in Okhla, a compressed bio-gas plant in north-west Delhi’s Ghogha, and the city’s first engineered landfill site. The Okhla waste-to-energy plant is burning 1,950 tonnes of waste, which is being raised to 2,950 tonnes every day. After several delays, we have received a clearance from the ministry of environment and forests on January 9 this year, and the project will be completed by December end,” the official said. MCD also plans to operationalise its 300 tonnes per day bio-CNG plant in Okhla by September and a compressed bio-CNG plant in Ghogha by December later this year, he added. The report adds that MCD plans to achieve 100% waste processing capacity, leading to zero dumping at the landfills. A second municipal corporation official from the sanitation department said that in the long-run, the department is working on two new waste-to-energy plants at Narela-Bawana and Ghazipur. “The Narela-Bawana plant will use 3,000 tonnes of waste per day by August 2025. Regional Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES), Lucknow, has been engaged as an advisor for setting up this 25 MW plant. We have received the bids from contractors and it is at the tender awarding stage,” the official said. The second plant at Ghazipur which will have a capacity to burn 2,000 tonnes of waste per day is expected to come up by August 2026, for which techno-economic feasibility report is under preparation, the second official added. “The Ghazipur project is still under initial phases and a detailed project report will be created after the feasibility report,” official said. In August last year, HT how Delhi’s garbage mountains will take 197 years to be cleared, taking into account the average 5,315 tonnes of garbage that was cleared every day in the past 34 months. In total, some 5.5 million tonnes of legacy waste had been cleared from three landfills in the same duration, but 5.1 million tonnes of new waste has been added. Last week, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had fined Delhi ₹2,232 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid and liquid waste. “On the pattern of compensation awarded in respect of other states (at the rate of ₹2 crore per million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage and ₹300 per tonne of untreated legacy waste), compensation of ₹3,132 crore is liable to be levied on the Delhi government — ₹990 crore for solid waste and ₹2,142 crore for solid waste,” the NGT bench said. To be sure, management of solid waste is the responsibility of MCD, while the Delhi government manages sewage. Atin Biswas, a waste management expert and programme director of municipal solid waste sector with Centre for Science and Environment, said that waste to energy plants should not be seen as a preferable solution for waste management especially when mixed waste is being sent to the facilities. “Dry waste component should be sent to WtE facilities but it is usually mixed with wet components such as food waste and construction waste due to which the calorific value of waste reduces. More stringent monitoring of real time data on emissions should be ensured,” he added.

Crores spent on water-related works haven’t readied Jharkhand for droughts; here’s why

Poor planning of water conservation and water harvesting structures is a major reason “A few decades ago, my fields produced so much paddy and maize that I would donate it. This year, the situation is so bad that my entire family is surviving on the monthly ration the government provides under the National Food Security Act,” says Surendra Korba, who owns a 16-hectare (ha) farm in Sarhua village of Jharkhand’s Palamu district. “The village has over 200 families, but in recent years, about 75 per cent of the youth go to cities in search of work. Water shortage has made farming difficult,” says Lokas Korba, a tribal rights activist in the village. In the last decade, 2022 was one of the most drought-affected years for Jharkhand. According to Yearly Weather Report-2022 (Jharkhand) of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the state received 817.6 mm of rainfall, which is 20 per cent below normal. On October 31, 2022, the State Disaster Management Department declared 22 of the state’s 24 districts, covering 122 blocks, as drought-affected. Some 3.15 million farmers have applied for relief under Chief Minister Drought Relief Scheme till February 2, 2023, says the scheme’s web portal. Of these, 1.63 million farmers were not able to sow at all this year, while 998,714 farmers have lost more than one-third of their crop. The state has promised a one-time allowance of Rs 3,500 per family to all eligible applicants. Resident of Palamu's Bhainsapur village say that many of their wells are close to drying outJharkhand is largely agrarian, engaging about 63 per cent of the rural population, according to Census 2011. Over 92 per cent of the sown area in Jharkhand is under food crops, predominantly paddy — the state’s main kharif crop, as per “Jharkhand-Action Plan on Climate Change”. (In 2009 the Union government directed all states and Union Territories to prepare these plans consistent with the strategy outlined in the “National Action Plan on Climate Change”.) The other crops cultivated are maize, pulses and oilseeds. Usually, 3.8 million ha is cultivated in the state, but during the 2022 kharif season, only 1.4 million ha was sown against a target of 2.83 million ha, says the drought declaration notification of October 31, 2022. This means about 50 per cent of the farmland in the state could not be cultivated. The reason is that the agrarian economy is almost entirely dependent on rain. Ninety-two per cent of the state’s sown area is rainfed, as per the Jharkhand agriculture department and 82 per cent of the annual rainfall is received during monsoon only, shows IMD data. As a result, deficit or untimely rain has a devastating effect on the state’s agriculture. With changing climate, the droughts have become more frequent and severe. In sharp contrast to the observed trend during 1956-2000, the period 2001-08 witnessed a sharp decline in annual rainfall, says “Jharkhand-Action Plan on Climate Change”. This has been accompanied by severe droughts, which have become frequent after 2000. Parts of the state have been hit by drought in 14 of the past 23 years. In seven of these 14 years, at least 10 of the state’s 24 districts were under drought. Ghanshyam, executive director of Deoghar-based non-profit Judav, says that earlier, droughts occurred once in four-five years, but now they strike almost every year. “The situation is such that farmers in many areas do not have money to buy seeds to sow paddy in the kharif season, starting June,” he says. The loss of soil moisture is causing the land to degrade. According to Indian Space Research Organisation’s Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India, published in 2016, “Jharkhand is the state with highest area under desertification/ land degradation in the country with respect to state TGA [total geographic area], i.e., 68.98 per cent for period 2011-13. The desertification/ land degradation area in Jharkhand has increased about 1.01 per cent since 2003-05. The most significant process of desertification / land degradation in the state is Water Erosion (50.64 per cent in 2011-13 and 50.65 per cent in 2003-05) followed by Vegetation Degradation (17.30 per cent in 2011-13 and 16.40 per cent in 2003-05).” This should not have been the case. Jharkhand has been the state where extensive works on water conservation and water harvesting have been done. More than Rs 3,000 crore has been spent on water-related works such as watershed management structures and traditional waterbodies under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from 2014-15 to 2021-22, shows the scheme”s web portal. A total of 2.57 million water-related works were undertaken using this money. Of these works, 892,017 are water-specific structures, which includes over 240,000 farm ponds. Farm ponds are constructed to provide life-saving irrigation to paddy, in situations of scanty rainfall or dry-spell. A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that these farm ponds alone have the potential to irrigate over 500,000 ha—20 per cent of the state’s annual net sown area. Given that a farm pond on average caters to the needs of 89 people, they are sufficient for 70 per cent of the state’s 220 million rural people. Now consider the potential of all the water-specific structures built across the state in the past eight years. Given that the state has 32,620 villages, each village in Jharkhand should now have at least 28 water-specific structures. As per an analysis by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment, just six water-related structures are sufficient for water security in a village. So why have the works in Jharkhand not borne result? “Poor planning of water conservation and water harvesting structures is a major reason. Village residents are the best persons at understanding where structures, such as a dobha (typically, a 15 m x 30 m x 10 m water-storage pit), should be constructed, where they will hold water for long. Their help should be taken,” says James Herenj, convener of Jharkhand NREGA Watch, a non-profit. Herenj talks about a drought to explain. “A severe drought in the state in 1993-94 made the government and voluntary organisations work together. Pani Panchayat Samitis were formed in every village to deal with water shortage. Scientists associated with the non-profit People’s Science Institute, Dehradun, also joined the campaign. Under this initiative, a large number of dobhas and check dams were built in the villages,” he says. “But in 2016-17, works were undertaken, defying discussions and schemes drawn by the villages. As a result, accidents, such as death of children due to drowning, were reported. Today the situation is such that many check dams are lying vacant and dobhas have become bereft of water,” he adds. The website of the state government’s disaster management department also quotes NREGA Watch as saying that if the works done under MGNREGA in Jharkhand had been undertaken as per the issues highlighted in the state’s climate action plan, 90 per cent of the irrigation-related problems would not have occurred. Source: NREGA MIS (www.nrega.nic.in), accessed on December 7, 2022 OTHER SOLUTIONS A concept note prepared by NITI Aayog in 2015 says that approximately 70 per cent of the sown area during kharif is covered by rice in the state. But most of it remains fallow during rabi. The utilisation of vast area under rice fallow is possible to a great extent by a shift to Direct Seeded Rice, with shorter duration varieties. This would also create opportunities to grow crops like short-duration oilseeds (rapeseed, mustard, linseed), pulses (gram, lentil, pea) and vegetables with residual moisture or with minimal supplemental irrigation (in-situ or ex-situ conserved rain water) by bunding, runoff management structures and minor irrigation tanks or ditches. There is about 1 million ha of rice fallow area, and at least 0.1 million ha additional area of rice fallow should be brought under pulses every year, the note says. Drought perpetuates the poverty cycle. This is why the “Jharkhand-Action Plan on Climate Change” says that the state has the least capacity to adapt to climate change. With changing climate, the burden of diseases in central India, including Jharkhand is slated to go up, it warns. “The need of the hour is connecting the communities, involving them in planning and designing of decentralised systems for source sustainability,” says Herenj. This was first published in the 16-28 February, 2023 print edition of Down To Earth We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

CSE’s Green Schools Programme honours 106 greenest schools in India

One hundred six schools from across India were certified ‘green’ here today at a ceremony conducted by Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green School Programme (GSP). Of these, 19 schools received the topmost Annual Green School Awards for their exemplary initiatives in making their campuses environment-friendly and their students, environment-conscious. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers, the “best state” and “best district” etc. CSE director general Sunita Narain and executive director Jagdeep Gupta handed out the awards to the winners. The awards, given every year by CSE, are based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual audit of resource management and environment-friendly practices within the school campuses; this audit is conducted by the schools themselves with CSE’s help. Says Souparno Banerjee, senior director, environment education, CSE: “The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking.” Over seven hundred schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 19 of these received the top awards, and 106 were tagged as ‘green’. 436 government schools, 55 government-aided schools and 216 private schools participated in the audit. Each school which undertook the audit, was assessed by the Green Schools Programme on its resource consumption practices in six areas – water management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, air pollution control, land and biodiversity management, and food systems followed. Speaking after handing over the awards, Narain said: “We are re-engaging onsite after a gap of three years, but it seems like we never went away. The vibrancy and enthusiasm with which schools, their children and teachers have joined the 2022-23 audit, the efforts they have put in, is a tribute to the promise they hold, and foretells a future that is full of hope. I congratulate all the winners and green schools, as well as the larger GSP family.” THE 2022-23 AWARDS Best State and District: Himachal Pradesh bagged the award for the Best State with the highest audit registrations and report submissions. 114 schools from the state submitted their audit reports – nine were rated ‘green’. Solan in Himachal Pradesh bagged the Best District Award with 61 submissions and six schools rated ‘green’. Changemaker Awards: These were schools that have monitored their resource consumption and improved them. The two awardees in this category: 1. Global Public School, Ernakulam, Kerala 2. Noyes Mat. Hr. Sec. School, Madurai, Tamil Nadu Sterling Schools Awards: Schools rated ‘green’ for five consecutive years: Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, Sonipat, Haryana Sachdeva Global School, South West Delhi, New Delhi Salwan Public School, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Ashok Memorial Public School, Faridabad, Haryana Bal Bharati Public School, Noida, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh Kendriya Vidyalaya WCL, New Majri, Chandrapur, Maharashtra East Point School, New Delhi Indirapuram Public School, Pratap Vihar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Bal Bharati Public School, IMT Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana St Edmund’s School, Jaipur, Rajasthan Mahindra World School, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu Best Newcomer: Schools that have recently registered to be a part of the programme and have demonstrated considerable potential in managing their natural resources. Cambridge School, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Best in Section: Schools that have performed exceptionally in specific sections. GSP Waste Warrior Award: Christ Academy CBSE School, Bengaluru, Karnataka GSP Land Manager Award: Government Senior Secondary School Himgiri, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh GSP Good Food Award: Shiv Nadar School, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh GSP Air Action Award: Subodh Public School Airport, Jaipur, Rajasthan GSP Energy Manager Award: Dr Rajendra Prasad Kendriya Vidyalaya, Central Delhi, New Delhi What it means to be a Green School? A ‘green’ school may include, but is not limited, to the following: A window to floor ratio (WFR) of more than 15 per cent. Majority of the population using sustainable and non-polluting modes of transport (public transport, e-rickshaws, cycling, walking, etc). Maximum use of energy-efficient lighting to conserve energy and use of alternative sources of energy – the GSP Audit encourages schools to minimise the use of conventional lights without compromising over sufficient lighting for students. Maintain a high green cover inside and around the school campus along with greater biodiversity by planting native species of plants. Serve only cooked meals (avoid packaged foods) to ensure healthy food consumption. Harvest rainwater and treat wastewater. Segregate waste at source efficiently and dispose of responsibly — recycling of at least 90 per cent of the waste is recommended Wet waste composted; waste should not be burned. (A CSE Media Briefing) Report sent by Pratyusha Mukherjee

CSE’s Green Schools Programme honours 106 greenest schools

One hundred six schools from across India were certified ‘green’ here at a ceremony conducted by Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) Green School Programme (GSP) in New Delhi. Of these, 19 schools received the topmost Annual Green School Awards for their exemplary initiatives in making their campuses environment-friendly and their students, environment-conscious. Himachal Pradesh bagged the award for the Best State with the highest audit registrations and report submissions. 114 schools from the state submitted their audit reports – nine were rated ‘green’. Solan in Himachal Pradesh bagged the Best District Award with 61 submissions and six schools rated ‘green’. Apart from the schools, awards were also conferred on the most proactive teachers, the “best state” and “best district” etc. CSE director general Sunita Narain and executive director Jagdeep Gupta handed out the awards to the winners. The awards, given every year by CSE, are based on an exhaustive and rigorous annual audit of resource management and environment-friendly practices within the school campuses; this audit is conducted by the schools themselves with CSE’s help. Says Souparno Banerjee, senior director, environment education, CSE: “The unique aspect of this programme is the opportunity that it affords schools to measure their progress year on year and improve their ranking.” Over seven hundred schools from 29 states and Union territories vied for the honours; 19 of these received the top awards, and 106 were tagged as ‘green’. 436 government schools, 55 government-aided schools and 216 private schools participated in the audit. Each school which undertook the audit, was assessed by the Green Schools Programme on its resource consumption practices in six areas – water management, solid waste management, energy efficiency, air pollution control, land and biodiversity management, and food systems followed. Speaking after handing over the awards, Narain said: “We are re-engaging onsite after a gap of three years, but it seems like we never went away. The vibrancy and enthusiasm with which schools, their children and teachers have joined the 2022-23 audit, the efforts they have put in, is a tribute to the promise they hold, and foretells a future that is full of hope. I congratulate all the winners and green schools, as well as the larger GSP family.”

Environment: HP Bags Best State and GSP Gold Partner Award

The Himachal Pradesh State has won the Best State Award and GSP Gold Partner Award given by the prestigious organization Centre for Science and Environment(CSE). Sh. Lalit Jain, Director, Environment, Science and Technology. Govt. of Himachal Pradesh cum Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment, (HIMCOSTE) received the award trophy and certificate on behalf of Himachal Pradesh State at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 21st February,2023. The award was given by Smt. Sunita Narayan, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment, (CSE) New Delhi under Green School Program (GSP) . Best District Award has been won by Distt Solan with 61 entries and nine schools were awarded ‘Green’ rating award. The Govt Sen. Sec. School, Himgiri, Chamba also won the GSP Land Manager Award. The two teachers from Himachal Pradesh won the GSP Ambassador Award. The awards, given every year by CSE, are based on detailed and rigorous annual audits of resource management and eco-friendly practices within school campuses; this audit is done by the schools themselves with the help of CSE. Green School Programme(GSP) is a meaningful environmental education programme in which teachers and students perform rigorous environmental audits of air, energy, food, land, water and waste within their school’s premise. The objective of the programme is to foster environmental consciousness in the school community by following the principles of ‘learning by doing’ and enabling schools to integrate environmental education with mainstream education through knowledge building and the use of appropriate learning resources. The programme will provide a unique educational opportunity for students to be aware of the importance of renewable energy, especially rooftop photovoltaics technologies in the context of climate change and enable students to learn about technologies that have ecological benefits through real-life applications. CSE’s Green Schools Programme honours 106 greenest schools in India Himachal Pradesh bags the Best Green State Award, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Punjab 106 schools out of the 707 that participated in the GSP Audit, bag the ‘green’ tag. 19 receive the topmost awards The annual Green School Awards are returning as an onsite physical event after three years

हिमाचल को मिला सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य व जीएसपी गोल्ड पार्टनर पुरस्कार

हिमाचल प्रदेश राज्य को सर्वश्रेष्ठ राज्य और जीएसपी (ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम) गोल्ड पार्टनर का पुरस्कार मिला है। निदेशक पर्यावरण, विज्ञान एवं प्रौद्योगिकी एवं सदस्य सचिव हिमाचल प्रदेश विज्ञान, प्रौद्योगिकी एवं पर्यावरण परिषद ललित जैन ने मंगलवार को इंडिया हैबिटेट सैंटर नई दिल्ली में राज्य की ओर से ट्रॉफी और प्रमाण पत्र प्राप्त किया। यह पुरस्कार महानिदेशक सैंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरन्मैंट सुनीता नारायण द्वारा दिया गया। 61 प्रविष्टियों के साथ सोलन को सर्वश्रेष्ठ जिला पुरस्कार और 9 स्कूलों को ग्रीन रेटिंग पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया गया। माध्यमिक विद्यालय हिमगिरि चम्बा ने जीएसपी भूमि प्रबंधक पुरस्कार जीता। हिमाचल प्रदेश के 2 शिक्षकों ने जीएसपी एंबैसेडर पुरस्कार जीता। सीएसई द्वारा ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम के तहत भारत के 106 सबसे ग्रीन स्कूलों को सम्मानित किया। हिमाचल प्रदेश को सर्वश्रेष्ठ हरित राज्य का पुरस्कार मिला, उसके बाद आंध्र प्रदेश और पंजाब का स्थान रहा। जीएसपी ऑडिट में भाग लेने वाले 707 में से 106 स्कूलों को ग्रीन टैग मिला है। सीएसई द्वारा हर साल स्कूल परिसरों के भीतर संसाधन प्रबंधन और पर्यावरण के अनुकूल व्यवस्थाओं के लिए विस्तृत और कठोर वार्षिक ऑडिट के आधार पर पुरस्कार प्रदान किए जाते हैं। ग्रीन स्कूल प्रोग्राम एक सार्थक पर्यावरण शिक्षा कार्यक्रम है जिसमें शिक्षक और छात्र अपने स्कूल के परिसर के भीतर हवा, ऊर्जा, भोजन, भूमि, पानी और कचरे का कठोर पर्यावरणीय ऑडिट करते हैं।

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu in world’s top 50 regions at high risk due to climate change: report

9 Indian States feature on a “world-first” index that assesses the risk posed to built environment across the world due to extreme weather events Nine out of 50 regions in the world facing high climate risk to a fragile physical infrastructure fall in India, according to a new ranking released on February 20. Bihar (22nd spot), Uttar Pradesh (25th), Assam (28th), Rajasthan (32nd), Tamil Nadu (36th), Maharashtra (38th), Gujarat (48th), Punjab (50th) and Kerala (52nd) are among the most vulnerable in the country, with the index identifying the economic capital Mumbai to be at notable risk as well. The report, titled “Gross Domestic Climate Risk”, was released on Monday by the Cross Dependency Initiative (XDI), a global organisation specialising in climate risk analysis for regions, banks and companies. The index calculated the ‘physical climate risk’ to built environments such as buildings and properties across 2,600 States and provinces globally in 2050. ALSO READ Economy at risk from move to clean energy: study Physical risk refers to vulnerability from eight climate change events: heat waves, coastal flooding (and sea level rise), extreme wind, forest fire, soil movement (or other drought-related hazards), free thaw, riverine and surface flooding. The report compared the risk across territories based on modelled projections of damage, using global climate models, local weather and environmental data. Together, the index assigned an Aggregated Damage Ratio (ADR) to each region, which signifies the total amount of damage a region’s built environment would sustain in 2050. A high ADR signifies more peril. According to the report, Assam, Bihar and Tamil Nadu had the highest ADR among other Indian States. Assam, in particular, would witness the maximum increase of climate risk: rising up to 330% by 2050 as compared to 1990. “This is the first time there has been a physical climate risk analysis focused exclusively on the built environment, comparing every state, province and territory in the world,” said XDI CEO Rohan Hamden in a statement on Monday. “Since extensive built infrastructure generally overlaps with high levels of economic activity and capital value it is imperative that the physical risk of climate change is appropriately understood and priced.” “Now – for the first time – the finance industry can directly compare Mumbai, New York and Berlin using a like-for-like methodology.” The report’s modelling is conducted under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s RCP 8.5 scenario – a scenario projecting high emissions, consistent with average global warming over 3 degree C above pre-industrial temperatures by the end of the century. Overall, India, China and the U.S. -- “globally significant states” -- are home to 80% of the most vulnerable cities and centres of economic activity around the world. Two of China’s largest sub-national economies – Jiangsu and Shandong – top the global ranking; followed by the U.S. which has 18 regions in the top 100 list; including economically-important regions of Florida, Texas and California. Asia dominates the list largely, with 114 of the top 200 regions falling in the continent, with the mention of Pakistan, Indonesia and most South East Asian countries. “Devastating flooding between June and August 2022 affected 30% of the area of Pakistan and has partially or fully damaged more than 900,000 houses in Sindh province,” the report said. Notably, the most damage posed to built infrastructure globally is caused by “riverine and surface flooding or flooding combined with coastal inundation”, the report pointed out. Assam has witnessed an experienced exponential increase in flood events since 2011, and it had 15 of India’s 25 districts most vulnerable to climate change, the State’s State’s Science, Technology and Climate Change Minister Keshab Mahanta told the Assembly last September. Further, 11 of the 36 districts in Maharashtra were found to be “highly vulnerable” to extreme weather events, droughts and dwindling water security, according to a 2021 report. The Climate Risk Index in 2019, which ranked countries based on their vulnerability to fatalities and economic losses, found India to be the seventh-worst hit due to extreme weather events. Another report in 2022 by the Centre for Science and Environment found India recorded the most extreme weather events in 2022; there was a disaster on 247 out of 273 days between January 1 to September 30.

‘Among G20 countries, India leading efforts to mitigate climate crisis’

India is leading in climate performance or efforts to mitigate climate crisis among G20 nations, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) said in a report released on Monday. India should use its G20 presidency to get G20 countries to acknowledge that a fair allocation of the global carbon budget is a must to take climate action forward, the report recommended. The analysis uses a Climate Performance Index to evaluate the performance of G20 nations in climate change mitigation. It factors in the unique position of each G20 country including their historical emissions, per capita CO2 emissions, demographic factors such as population, and status of economic and human development. India is followed by Italy and Indonesia in climate performance; the United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, France and the European Union are runners-up; among laggards are the US, Canada, Russia and Saudi Arabia, the report concluded. “India, an emerging economy, ranks first among all G20 members in terms of overall climate performance, owing to its significantly low per capita contributions to carbon and GHG emissions; very limited share in legacy emissions relative to its population needs; least rate of per capita energy use; and significant efforts towards, not only preserving, but also expanding its climate-regulating land cover by 6% compared its 1992 levels,” the report stated, adding that India has also done well in climate policy initiatives and limiting the unbridled expansion of climate-altering land cover. There is considerable scope for improvement in developing energy efficiency in production and addressing inequalities in carbon footprints across different sections of the population, the report concluded. On average, the emerging economies within the G20 perform slightly better than the advanced economies. Among the advanced economies, the overall climate performance of the European countries including Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany and the members of the EU is considerably better than that of the North American countries. Canada and the US score significantly low across most indicators of climate performance, particularly per capita CO2 emissions from use of fossil fuels and share of global cumulative carbon emissions relative to share of global cumulative population. Saudi Arabia shows the least progress in climate mitigation among all the G20 members—primarily owing to its high dependence on fossil fuels for economic growth. The index uses two of the most popular indices-- the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) developed by German Watch, and the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) of the Climate Analytics and New Climate Institute. But ORF’s index incorporates several new indicators including per capita CO2 emissions from fossil fuels; share of global cumulative carbon emissions relative to share of global cumulative population; Theil Index of Carbon Inequality--an indicator reflecting contribution to historic emissions; and energy efficiency of production (GDP per unit of primary energy consumption) . Among G20 countries India also leads in climate policies, the report said. India’s climate related policies include one on electric vehicles. Electric transportation in India is set to expand significantly in the near future. The country aspires to achieve 30% electrification of its entire vehicle fleet by 2030. The National Green Hydrogen Mission envisions India as a global centre for the manufacture, use, and export of green hydrogen; and Smart Cities Mission endeavours to create cities that rely on smart solutions to provide basic infrastructure and planning. The report also said that nationally determined contributions should be adjusted so as to allow a fair allocation of the carbon budget. If this is done, it will mean that while the global trajectory of emissions limits global warming to below-2 degrees Celsius, the national trajectories reflect a fair allocation of the carbon budget, possibly by aiming for equal per capita CO 2 emissions tadjusted for the countries’ share in legacy emissions. “India’s G20 presidency can work to steer an acknowledgement among nations that there is a need for a fair allocation of carbon budget if the 2030 Agenda has to be realised and no one is to be left behind,” the report recommended. “India’s climate targets are ambitious for a country with growing energy and developmental needs, and are in line with its fair share based on its historical contribution to the climate crisis. Achieving those targets will require a tailored sectoral view and addressing of barriers to scaling up green technologies,” said Avantika Goswami, climate change lead at Centre for Science and Environment.