Hyderabad to host conference on India's COP21 commitments

Hyderabad, May 9: The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has been selected by the United States Department of State to organise a conference focused on implementing India's COP21 commitments to be held here on June 24-25.

The conference, 'Future Is Now: India from COP21 to Reality', would include international experts and practitioners, environmental NGOs, in-country development organisations, finance experts, Indian companies and philanthropic organisations as well as India's top national and state decision-makers, a media statement from the US Consulate General Hyderabad said.

"The participants will explore India's key climate change issues and opportunities in light of India's Paris commitments," it said.

ISC is partnering with the Center for Environment and Development to present the conference, which will feature Indian and US experts on topics such as clean energy, energy efficiency, climate finance, resilience, climate mitigation, air pollution and waste reduction, the statement said.

The Department of State's Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, was quoted as saying, "India is a vital player in addressing climate change and we look forward to increasing our partnership to expand clean energy deployment and access."

Steve Nicholas, Vice President of Urban Programs at ISC, said, "The Paris Agreement is an incredibly important opportunity to reduce emissions and implement green development projects in India. Connecting US and Indian leaders to each other is critical because those professional relationships will continue to pay dividends."

"We're honoured to be working with our colleagues in India to understand their challenges, share what we’ve learned, and talk about what’s possible," he said.

Conference participants, who may include leaders from local government, industry, NGOs, academics, and national government officials, would have the opportunity to connect with their peers and share challenges, solutions and resources, the statement added.

PTI