Industries leaders showed willingness to develop roadmap for Carbon Neutrality
Ranchi, 01 June 2022: Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) with support from its local technical partner Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) jointly organised a state level workshop with the key objective to bring perspectives on current status of carbon emissions and seek carbon neutrality relat ed commitments from key industries for achieving Net-zero target in Jharkhand. This conference successfully forged consensus on bringing a development roadmap on carbon neutrality and putting an accountability regime for robust carbon budgeting in presence of government agencies, industries, sustainability organiza tions and stakeholders from key economic sectors to implement the effective steps towards achieving the am bitious climate goals.
Elaborating the broader context of the conference, Mr A.K. Rastogi (IFS), Chairman, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) and PCCF, Jharkhand said, !In the light of the union government”s resolution to achieve net zero emission by 2070, we are at the cusp of sustainable transition. Industries have traditionally been the key driver of economic growth, employment generation and social development. With ambitious cli mate and policy goals, industry and business sectors now have the greater onus to attain carbon neutrality and further contribute in creating a future ready economy in the state.” He further added that, !Our path for the future must be carefully charted, while keeping the interests of vulnerable people at the centre of policy and programs.”
The concept of carbon-neutrality is based on balancing CO2 emissions with its removal associated with vari ous sources including industries, transportation, energy production, and agriculture so that net-zero emission is achieved. In the Glasgow convention (2021), a global consensus emerged to achieve carbon-neutrality by the coalitions of more than 70 countries, where India has also committed to achieve it by 2070. This ambitious target, therefore, requires collective efforts from all key stakeholders particularly industries and business sec tors that have traditionally been the largest emitter of the Greenhouse Gases (GHG).
Addressing the conference, Mr L. Khiangte (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest, Environ ment and Climate Change, Jharkhand said that, !There is an urgent need to transition to a resource efficient, sustainable and low-carbon economy in order to support inclusive growth. For balancing economic growth with climate-goals, it will be prudent to identify linkages between development needs, decarbonisation process and low carbon opportunities of the state.”
It is important to note that the key sectors – energy, industry, transportation, petrochemicals, infrastructure and agriculture – contribute to more than 96% of India”s GHG emissions. Jharkhand Action Plan on Climate Change (2014) also notes that CO2 equivalent emissions from heavy industries are quite high, where Steel sector contributes the largest emissions followed by copper and cement in Jharkhand.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ramapati Kumar, CEO of CEED said that, !It is really an appreciative move by the JSPCB for bringing on board the industries sector for creating a roadmap for ensuring zero carbon future. Commitments towards a sustainable transition would encourage industries and investors and it will also enable a forward looking policy ecosystem that can help reduce risk perceptions and unlock greater potentials. What is required here is an efficient climate governance that can facilitate convergence of efforts led by gov ernment dept & agencies and key actors such as industries, business, think-tanks, academia and civil society to put Jharkhand on the path of sustainability.”
Highlighting the need of robust planning and financial mechanisms, Mr Rahul Sharma (IAS), Secretary, De partment of Planning and Development, Jharkhand said that, “Climate financing will be the driving force behind the transition to the carbon-neutral economy. This places immense roles for public & private financial institu tions and leading companies to bolster the transition through continued efforts in planning and financing green infrastructure and pathbreaking techno-solutions in the state.”
The first session looked at the overview of the carbon budgeting in national and international framework, and situated its relevance in Jharkhand. Second and third sessions pondered over perspectives and commitments from key industries (such as Coal, Power, Steel, Cement, Chemicals, etc) on the carbon budgeting process to present cutting edge techno-development solutions. Fourth session meticulously identified possible pathways and enabling frameworks for achieving carbon neutrality in the state.
The notable session chairs and speaker includes Shri Amarendu Prakash, Director-In-charge, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Shri PM Prasad, CMD, Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Shri Samiran Dutta, CMD, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Shri Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Executive Director, Hindustan Copper Ltd, among others dignitaries from leading PSUs and corporate companies from industries and business sectors.
The conference concluded that decarbonisation of the industries sectors can be catalyse through developing longer-term technology roadmaps and collaborative R&D enabled options like moving away from fossil fuels to low or zero carbon fuels, deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and capability building of key stakeholders to achieve a high degree of circular economy and sustainability in Jharkhand.
The conference witnessed participation from key government department & agencies (Finance, Planning, In dustries), public sector units and institutions e.g. CCL, BCCL, NTPC, SAIL, UCIL, RBI from Jharkhand and beyond, leading corporates like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Hindalco, Hindustan Copper Ltd, ITC and prominent industries and business institutions such as Confederation of Indian Industries, Jharkhand Chambers of Com merce, Jharkhand Small Industries Association, and Indian Medical Association, etc,.
For more Information, please contact:
Dr Manish Kumar, CEED, Email: manish@ceedindia.org; Ph :7461934182
Arvind Kumar, CEED, Email; arvind@ceedindia.org; Ph: 9934370543