GGGI’s Nicholas Stern (left) and Jason Eis (right) discuss green growth strategies with counterparts in Bangalore
BANGALORE –February 23, 2013 –“Green-Growth, Low-Carbon and Climate Change-Resilient Development for Karnataka,” a multi-disciplinary, collaborative project, organized by a consortium of research institutions, was launched at the Vidhana Soudha –the Karnataka State Assembly Premises in Bangalore –on Saturday. Supported by GGGI, this is the first major initiative in India to examine and prioritize low carbon and green growth developmental options, including climate resilience and social inclusion strategies, at the state level.
The event on February 23 was the first in a series of major engagements surrounding the project, where findings to date and future project goals were discussed with government officials and key representatives from the private sector and civil society. GGGI Council Member Lord Nicholas Stern, the Chief Secretary of Karnataka Shri S. V. Ranganath, Karnataka Legislative Assembly Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy, LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun, GGGI Deputy Director Jason Eis, and Chair of the Bangalore Climate Change Initiative—Karnataka (BCCI-K) Professor B K Chandrashekar attended to discuss the urgency of a green growth transformation and its key challenges and opportunities.
The event also marked the release of a report prepared in the first phase of the project entitled Historical Climate Trends and CLimate Change Projections for Karnataka. It was presented by Professor N.H. Ravindranath of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and detailed the serious climate risks facing Karnataka, including increasing temperatures, higher risk of drought, and changing precipitation patterns.
“Green-Growth, Low-Carbon and Climate Change-Resilient Development for Karnataka” is a multi-disciplinary collaborative project, being undertaken in partnership with reputed local institutions and organizations, which GGGI has supported through the ‘Bangalore Climate Change Initiative—Karnataka (BCCI-K)’. The affiliate institutions of BCCI-K include IISc, University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D), and Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).
“Robust Green Growth planning requires a trans-disciplanary approach,” said GGGI’s Jason Eis. “This project brings together a set of partners capable of providing Karnataka with first rate support in meeting its green growth aspirations.”
Over the course of next year, this project will undertake comprehensive cross-sectoral analysis, and use these to prioritize policy interventions and investment opportunities. The outputs of the work will be a Karnataka Green Growth Plan supported by engagement and capacity building among key government officials, and broader dissemination across major stakeholders and civil society.