New Delhi:
The two-day Hindustan Times Environment Conclave begins Wednesday with Bhupender Yadavs speech describing the government’s roadmap to sustainable development. The Conclave’s theme this year is environmental, governance and social (also known by ESG).
Following Yadav’s address, sessions on energy transition, circular economy, and net zero emissions will be held by industry and environment experts.
The HT Environment Conclave on Wednesday and Thursday is being held in the backdrop investors increasingly giving importance to ESG, as the climate crisis looms large over business. The conclave comes at a moment when India is slowly recovering from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and is preparing for a transition towards a low-carbon economy in this decade.
Prime Minister NarendraModi announced at the Glasgow climate conference in December last year that India’s nonfossil energy capability will reach 500GW by 2030. This will allow India to meet half its energy needs.
He also announced that India will reduce its projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, decrease the economy’s carbon intensity by 45%, and reach net-zero emissions by 2070. Net-zero refers to completely eliminating the greenhouse gases caused by human activity through reducing and absorption of emissions.
The conclave will try to capture the challenges and opportunities that this transition to low-carbon economies presents.
On Wednesday, Yadav’s keynote address will follow by a session on Circular economy: How to effectively work towards reducing waste by Swati Singh Sambyal. Swati Singh Sambyal is a waste management specialist at UN Habitat. Sambyal will focus on lifestyle changes one can make to reduce consumption, and wastage.
Arun Krishnamurthy (founder, Environmentalist Foundation of India), will follow her session with a personal account of his journey to quit a corporate job in order to save natural spaces across India.
Day 1 of the conclave will feature sessions by industry leaders such as Priya Agarwal Shebbar, director, Vedanta Resource, who will speak about ESG in industry; Rajev Kumar Jain (chief operating officer (refrigerant company), Gujarat Fluorochemicals), who will discuss carbon emission in the developing world.
Day 2 will be launched on Thursday by a fireside conversation with Shivraj Singh Chauhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, to kick-start the HT Environment Conclave.
It will be followed up by a session with Nivit Yadav who is programme director, industrial polluting unit, Centre for Science and Environment. This session will discuss how industries can reduce their carbon footprints and improve their environmental performance. Senior fellow and senior director, electricity andfuels division, The Energy and Resources Institute will discuss how India can achieve its net zero emissions goal by 2070.
It will be followed up by a joint session by George Menezes (chief operating officer, Godrej Electricals and Electronics) and KS Venkatgiri (executive director, CII–Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre).
Pragya Kapoor (actor, producer, environmental activist, and founder of Ek Saath The Earth Foundation) will be the last speaker. She will discuss the role of youth in environmental movement.