8 October 2024
Experts Foreground Crucial Climate Challenges at Launch of the Climate Institute
The challenge of climate change needs to be addressed urgently from multiple standpoints, including steady rise in temperatures, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events including their compounding and cascading effect such as the impact on crop yields and food security across the world, heat and humidity shocks, and resultant rise in energy demands, among others.
These issues were raised during a panel discussion organised by Ahmedabad University at the launch of its Climate Institute. The panellists included Professor Vimal Mishra, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar; Mr Punit Lalbhai, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Arvind Limited, and Member, Board of Governors, Ahmedabad University; Dr Kaushik Deb, Executive Director, Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India); and Dr Indu K. Murthy, Sector Head, Climate, Environment and Sustainability, Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP). The discussion was moderated by Professor Minal Pathak, Academic Director of The Climate Institute, Ahmedabad University.
Professor Vimal Mishra argued that Ahmedabad University’s Climate Institute should provide focused research-based solutions for India not only on mitigation but also on adaptation. “‘Science for solutions’ could be the tagline for this Institute”, he suggested. He said that with rising humidity and increased episodes of heat waves as also urban flooding across the country, the labour force exposed to the elements faces tremendous health risks, which need to be analysed and combated at the policy level. He also advised young researchers to approach policymakers and the government on adaptation and documentation of climate change impact to reduce the gap in implementation of a climate action plan.
Dr Indu Murthy advised that with climate change being a threat multiplier, the problems emanating from it need to be assessed coherently rather than in silos to facilitate a sustainable plan, going forward, and build resilience by leveraging the best available technological solutions. She also categorised climate change as primarily a problem of water scarcity and quality, which should be addressed at the macro level rather than through a short-term approach. Ensuring appropriate communication with all the stakeholders and laying down the metrics for measuring the parameters to deal with climate change are integral to the work in this space.
According to Dr Kaushik Deb, the mandate to progressively augment its GDP without increasing its carbon emissions is a critical policy objective for India. The target set by India for ramping up its non-fossil capacity by around 50 GW each year to meet the goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity by 2030 requires enormous work in terms of policy and project execution. If India is able to achieve this target, it would be a remarkable and unparalleled achievement, asserted Dr Deb. He also emphasised the need to ensure effective communication of India’s carbon emission achievements to counter the perception that we are perhaps not doing enough in this area.
Pointing out that sustainability has moved beyond research and theory, entering the realms of industry, Mr Punit Lalbhai noted that all global brands are now setting ambitious targets to control emissions. He stated that industry has started moving the needle significantly on sustainability, making it both an economically viable and good organisational practice for businesses across the nation. He also outlined the need for creative solutions in controlling emissions and dealing with the highly fragmented landscape of organisations, including the have-nots, which are responsible for these emissions. Thus, what is needed is a combination of optimism, creativity, focus, and financial viability to attain the desired results on sustainability in India’s corporate sector. He highlighted the human psychology dimension that long-term thinking is abstract for humans and that all our incentive systems reinforce short-term vision. Climate change as a problem needs attention as a near-term issue and it is important to identify ways to make this relevant for the average individual.
In conclusion, Professor Minal Pathak focused on the transformational challenge in combating climate change, including urban environmental risks emanating from the loss of green spaces in cities, rise of concrete structures, and unchecked urbanisation. This is particularly important in view of the fact that cities consume 78 per cent of the world’s primary energy and generate more than 70 per cent of global carbon emissions, making them a key part of the Net-zero solution to climate change. The vertical on ‘cities and settlements’ at the Climate Institute will focus on these imperatives. There are co-benefits to be attained from climate actions and more efforts need to be directed towards looking at solutions that can simultaneously address air pollution and health and climate change. The vertical on air and water will address some of these issues.