The India Climate Observatory

Commentary, action and research on climate and development in India

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About

What is Climate Challenge India ?

Climate Challenge India is an independent, non-political mobilisation effort to spread awareness and promote action on climate change in India.

The first effort of its type in India, Climate Challenge India (CCI) was initiated in early-2007 by the Centre for Social Markets (CSM).

CCI seeks to build a new climate of hope and opportunity on climate change. The initiative’s starting point is that countries such as India can no longer afford to sit back, but must take leadership on climate change out of enlightened self-interest.
In December 2007, Climate Challenge India was hailed as one of the world’s top five climate campaigns and profiled at the UN Climate Summit in Bali, Indonesia.

In 2009, the focus of the initiative will be to build the conditions necessary for a successful outcome to the crucial United Nations negotiations on climate change (COP15) in Copenhagen in December.

What is the ‘Climate Challenge India’ Platform ?

The Climate Challenge India Platform brings together people of all ages and backgrounds to rapidly advance India’s response to climate change through a variety of measures. These include research and education; advocacy and campaigns; business and enterprise; arts and culture; practical and professional action; science and technology development.Platform members commit to:

  • Educating themselves, their organisaations and constituencies about climate change
  • Determining their carbon footprint and reducing it
  • Helping vulnerable communities adapt to climate change
  • Promoting the development of products and processes that are carbon neutral or carbon positive
  • Supporting science-based and equitable policies and measures that will reduce national and international greenhouse gas emissions

The Platform amounts to a new force for change demonstrating that India need wait for no-one to lead on climate change. Taken together, each of these efforts will help reduce and manage India’s vulnerability to climate change, and set her on the path to a low-carbon future with greater chance of achieving security and prosperity for her people and the world.

What is the Climate Challenge India Portal?

The Climate Challenge India Portal is the information hub and the gateway to action for the Climate Challenge India community.

Developed as a public resource by the Centre for Social Markets, the Portal is designed as a one-stop-shop on climate change and India issues. It seeks to raise awareness, promote information exchange, and foster networking and partnership in the search for solutions to climate change.

 

Fossil fuel subsidies must end, says Indian Microfinace firm – 1 June 2012, The UK Guardian

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Governments must end subsidies for fossil fuels and focus instead on supporting renewable energy sources, the executive director of an award-winning microfinance organisation said this week. Speaking to the Guardian, LH Manjunath, from Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) in southern India, which provides consumer loans for energy projects, said: “Most fossil fuels are subsidised. The [Indian] government is spending millions on subsidies. It must stop all subsidies for fossil fuels and increase the number for clean energy.”

Surinder Singh: Under the weather – 15 May 2012, Business Standard

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Climate change is a reality. No longer can it be considered a mere possibility. This is evident from the increase in the occurrence of odd and extreme weather events. Naturally, the agriculture sector has started to feel the pinch. Wheat harvesting, for instance, often starts early because of a sudden and unusual rise in temperature in March-April — or, as has been the case this year, is delayed owing to an exceptionally wet and cool March-April. In both cases, wheat production suffers and readjustments have to be made to the crop calendar.

Indian Minister Sharad Pawar adamant to climate change says, ‘Agriculture is unaffected in India’ – 28 April 2012, MoneyControl

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Global warming has not adversely impacted India’s agriculture production which has been increasing over the last five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday. “In the last five years … wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton production has not dropped, but increased,” agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said during Question Hour.

Seeding a policy without the dirt on climate change – 21 February 2012, The Hindu

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A recent international conference on climate change and sustainable agriculture in New Delhi brought forth the shocking realisation that there are no conclusive studies in India on the prospective impact of climate change on the agriculture sector including livestock and fisheries.

Earth Summit, twenty years on – 14 February 2012, Live Mint

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In June, world leaders will congregate in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations (UN) conference on sustainable development, better known as the Rio+20 conference. The event will mark the completion of two decades of the Earth Summit, the first major conference that explicitly focused on the synergies between environmental and developmental strategies. 

41% of country’s forest cover has suffered degradation – 13 February 2012, The Economic Times

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The 12th five year plan related to biodiversity will focus on reclaiming wetlands, inland lakes and ponds, assess coastal biodiversity resources, use and sustainability, implementing recovery plan for identified 16 wildlife species, improve forest production and maintain biodiversity, and target greening five million hectare under Green India Mission, said K Kasturirangan, member, planning commission and former head, Indian Space Research organisation.

41% of country’s forest cover has suffered degradation: Kasturirangan