Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has reiterated India’s commitment to a low-carbon future by accelerating clean energy innovations.
Addressing the Joint Ministerial Plenary of Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM13) and Mission Innovation (MI-7) at the “Global Clean Energy Action Forum 2022”, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, India’s Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is seeking to meet the country’s massive energy demand with innovative clean energy innovations and programs. He said, India is committed to achieve 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by the year 2030 and reduce the projected emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who is leading a high-level Joint Indian Ministerial Delegation of Ministry of Power, New & Renewable Energy and Ministry of Science & Technology informed the Energy and Environment Ministers from 30 countries that India’s energy-mix strategies include a larger shift toward clean energy alternatives, increased manufacturing capacities, energy use efficiency, and a policy push for hydrogen including production-linked incentives. In addition, the emerging technologies like 2G Ethanol Pilot, Comfort climate box for tropical regions, Hydrogen Valleys, Heating and cooling virtual repository, are all on the table, the Minister emphasized.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, India has developed a Roadmap and a strategy for a Bio-based economy which is inching towards 150 billion USD by the year 2025. He said, this will facilitate infrastructure for Bio-manufacturing of low-carbon bio-based products. Recently, India has also launched the National Hydrogen Energy Mission to enable cost competitive green hydrogen production.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Government of India through Public -Private partnerships is ensuring the funding for clean energy innovations as envisioned under Mission Innovation 2.0. The Minister gave two examples of successful Public-Private partnerships-first one the “Clean Energy International Incubation Centre”, a unique Research and Innovation (R&I) model platform, set up with private partner Tata Trusts, which has resulted in more than 20 clean energy solutions to help standalone researchers, which is a unique achievement. The 2nd one is the Joint Centre of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that led to development of 2G ethanol technology.
Dr Jitendra Singh acknowledged that the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) setup has been able to provide a unique opportunity for India to showcase its contribution to clean energy development nationally & internationally and quoted some major CEM initiatives which includes CEM’s Global Lighting Challenge(GLC) campaign, Street Lighting National Programme, Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) program, The One Sun-One world -One Grid Initiative which was first floated by the Prime Minister of India to harness tremendous potential of solar energy.
Dr Jitendra Singh asserted that India, through “Mission Innovation”, is actively engaged in collaborative efforts to catalyze inspiring innovation goals. He said, National Mission initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India, and Green India, Smart Cities have encouraged hubs of clean energy innovation all over the country. Alongside, India has also taken R&D initiative to develop low carbon alternatives to Single Use Plastics in an integrated manner, the Minister added.
Addressing the Ministers & CEOs, Senior representatives of (US DoE), Mission Innovation Steering Committee (MISC) and Mission Innovation Secretariat, Senior representatives from MI Member countries and partner organizations, Dr Jitendra Singh underlined that India is founding and active member of both Mission Innovation (MI)& Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) since launch and now actively engaged with MI2.0 through various Missions and Platforms.
Dr Jitendra Singh reminded the Ministers and Delegates that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Glasgow, United Kingdom in November, 2021, expressed to intensify its climate action by presenting to the world five nectar elements (Panchamrit) of India’s climate action. He said, apart from a five-pronged target for India and its commitment to Net-Zero emissions by 2070, Modi also asserted the need to follow a sustainable lifestyle and emphasized on the idea of making ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ a global mission through bolder steps by the global clean energy fraternity. It is important to realize that transition can only happen with scaling up of green funds in good numbers as committed in the Paris Agreement, the Minister added.
Dr Jitendra Singh concluded by announcing that India will be hosting MI & CEM in 2023 alongwith its Presidency of G-20 in the same year. He also expressed his gratitude for participating in the Global Clean energy Action Forum, a joint convening of the Clean Energy Ministerial & Mission Innovation and thanked the US Department of Energy & Mission Innovation Secretariat for hosting this significant event.
“It’s time to make ‘Clean Air For All’ a participative mission. The air quality improvement efforts have shown positive trends in achievement of better air quality in cities across the country. But if we wish to achieve what we aspire, ‘Jan Bhagidari’ or participative governance holds the key.” This was stated by Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav in Chennai today during the inauguration of Sensitization cum Review Workshop – National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and XV-FC Million Plus Cities Challenge Fund (XV-FC MPCCF) of Southern region comprising Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli.
Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister for Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu Shri Siva . V. Meyyanathan, Secretary of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Smt Leena Nandan, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forest, Government of Tamil Nadu Smt Supriya Sahu, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar participated in the inaugural ceremony of the 2 day regional workshop organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Speaking on the occasion Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav appreciated the state mentioning that Chennai, Madurai and Trichy, the 3 million plus cities’ air quality is within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. He also praised the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for the initiative of E- Commute program, under which all the officials of the board commute to office every Wednesday through non fossil fuel driven vehicles.
In another revolutionary step, he asserted that India leapfrogged to BS-VI standard and the adoption of its norms for fuel and vehicles is one of the landmark policy decisions towards combating air pollution.
“Under NCAP, 132 non-attainment cities have been identified across the country based on the Air Quality data from 2014-2018. The list is a heterogeneous mix of cities of all sizes and types and in southern India we have 13 such cities from Andhra Pradesh and 4 each from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana”, he added.
Shri Bhupender Yadav recalled the Prime Minister’s commitment to ensure clean air to all people by improving the air quality in around 100 cities through holistic approach.
The Minister appealed to the young population to become active agents in the mission to improve air quality by adopting sustainable lifestyles, appropriate behaviours and attitudes and become change agents of the society. He expressed confidence that with the coordination, collaboration, participation and sustained efforts of all stakeholders, the objectives of NCAP in addressing the issue of air pollution in a comprehensive manner will be achieved.
Very Clean Planet (VCP) today announced the launch of its global digital engagement hub for carbon asset management and the inaugural OTC (over-the-counter) I-REC (International Renewable Energy Credit) trade between Hebei Construction and Investment Group Co., Ltd. (HECIG) and BroadVision Hong Kong, Ltd. (BVHK).
VCP is the world’s first blockchain-enabled platform where each carbon credit certificate can be traced end-to-end, preventing any fraudulent offering or double counting that is difficult to verify in today’s market. Specifically, VCP empowers insight into each I-REC in much finer granularity regarding its origin, process, seasonality, and a host of other pertinent environmental attributes, ensuring the member organization’s compliance with its corporate ESG standards in the most stringent, accountable, and timely manner.
“The lack of transparency and trust for cross-border carbon credits poses serious challenges to multinational corporations seeking to achieve carbon neutrality across all locales as well as to regional renewable energy producers seeking to monetize their carbon assets globally,” said VCP Managing Director Yunping Hsu. “VCP has been built from the ground-up to digitally transform the global carbon market, alleviating those challenges while delivering superior efficiency, security, liquidity, and value for our members.”
“We are very excited to partner with VCP to launch its digital engagement hub for I-REC, which is seamlessly integrated with our blockchain-based enterprise carbon asset management platform,” said Mr. Zhu Shaokang, CEO of BravoWhale Technology (BWT), “This makes VCP the world’s only platform that conveys unprecedented insight into each I-REC’s entire lifecycle, resulting in greater trust and more timely decisions for all participants.”
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“A robust, scalable, fully digital and truly global carbon platform is the key to fulfilling the world’s zero-carbon commitments under the Paris Accord,” commented Dr. Daniel Kammen, Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) lead author on the seminal report which contributed to its winning the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. “We applaud VCP’s and BWT’s vision and efforts in launching this groundbreaking platform and for consummating its first cross-border I-REC trade between HECIG and BVHK by addressing critical issues such as authenticity, timeliness, and traceability, once and for all, which should solidify the international drive and mutual trust toward a greener future with a compelling financial incentive.”
“Yingda Securities has been a pioneer in carbon asset management in China,” stated Mr. Chen Kai, CEO of Yingda Securities Co., Ltd., a wholly-own subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China. “We are very enthusiastic about digital transformation in the carbon economy and believe initiatives like VCP will have a positive impact to global enterprises for achieving their ESG compliance objectives.”
“To comply with the Chinese Government’s two-carbon mandate,” said Mr. Wang Shuanghai, Chairman of Jointo Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (000600.SZ), an HECIG’s wholly-owned subsidiary. “HECIG has led the energy industry in digital transformation by adopting cutting-edge technologies such as BWT’s blockchain/IoT platform solution to digitize and intellectualize our carbon assets with outmost accountability, so that they can be efficiently traded and optimally monetized internationally. We invite and welcome all responsible organizations worldwide to join our crusade toward carbon neutrality and to transform our earth into a very clean planet.”
About Very Clean Planet Very Clean Planet is a global digital engagement hub that manages, aggregates, and facilitates the flow of carbon assets, guaranteeing unprecedented authenticity, transparency, efficiency, immediacy, and liquidity. We are driving a paradigm shift for the world to reach carbon neutrality on schedule by empowering organizations to meet their mandated or voluntary ESG (Environmental & Social Governance) compliance targets ahead of schedule. To register as a member, please visit www.verycleanplanet.com for more details.
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A Clean Electricity Standard discussion paper to be published in March 2022 will help guide engagements to inform the design and scope of the regulation, which will help drive progress towards achieving a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada had set a goal of a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. This accelerates the original target outlined in Canada’s strengthened climate plan (December 2020) by fifteen years.
A Clean Electricity Standard discussion paper to be published in March 2022 will help guide engagements to inform the design and scope of the regulation, which will help drive progress towards achieving a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.
Maintaining Affordability and Reliability
In developing the proposed Clean Electricity Standard, the Government of Canada will work with implicated provinces and territories as appropriate to take into account possible clean power opportunities as well as potential cost and reliability issues for ratepayers and utilities, and impacts for electricity workers. Together, we will design a standard that minimizes impacts on ratepayers, maintains reliability, and reduces emissions.
The Clean Electricity Standard discussion paper builds on the federal government’s earlier actions on electricity. This includes implementing a 2030 phase-out of unabated coal and putting in place natural gas electricity performance standards to provide the right market signals. Together, these climate policies give utilities time to efficiently transition to clean electricity sources with minimal impacts on ratepayers.
Fossil fuel–free electricity can also protect consumers from market volatility and exposure to global events that affect the price of natural gas and oil, fuels that utilities currently use as part of their portfolio to generate electricity.
Supporting the Transition to Net-Zero Electricity
The Government of Canada understands the transition to net zero will require major investments in clean electricity generation, storage, and grid modernization to meet increasing demand from electrification in other parts of the economy as grid operators simultaneously decarbonize generation.
As part of Canada’s climate plan, the federal government is providing support for investments in renewable energy and next-generation clean energy and technology solutions.
In December 2020, Canada committed $15 billion in investments to build a stronger, cleaner, more resilient, and inclusive economy. This funding is helping to support many projects in the electricity sector, including:
an additional $964 million over four years to advance smart renewable energy and grid modernization projects to enable the clean grid of the future;
investing an additional $300 million over five years to help rural, remote, and Indigenous communities that currently rely on diesel to be powered by clean, reliable energy by 2030;
supporting connecting provincial electricity networks with necessary intertie project pre‑development work by providing $25 million in 2021–2022 to help some proponents conduct engineering assessments, community engagement, and environmental and regulatory studies; and
working with provinces and territories to help build key intertie transmission projects with support from the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Currently, this work includes advancing the “Atlantic Loop” intertie project, which could greatly reduce emissions and maintain electricity affordability in the Atlantic region, as well as other regional initiatives.
The Government has since expanded on these investments and committed an additional $17.6 billion in new green recovery measures included in Budget 2021, along with the creation of an investment tax credit to encourage the development of carbon capture and storage projects and increase their feasibility.
In addition, as part of its $10-billion Growth Plan, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has identified a long‑term target of $5 billion for clean power projects to support renewable generation and storage and to transmit clean electricity between provinces, territories, and regions, including to Northern and Indigenous communities.
On February 14, 2022, the Government of Canada announced the Future Electricity Fund as part of the Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS), which will re-invest $79.5 million to support clean electricity projects at electricity generating facilities covered by the OBPS in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick.
The Government of Canada is moving forward with its first green bond issuance of $5 billion before the end of March, the proceeds of which will be used to offer investment opportunities in both climate and environmental measures, including in green infrastructure and projects related to wind and solar energy. The green bond framework was published on March 3, 2022.
Unions Minister of YAS Shri Anurag Thakur started the month-long Clean India Programme from 1st October 2021
Cleanliness Drive being taken up as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to ensure people’s participation in cleaning waste mainly single use plastic waste
Secretary of Department of Youth Affairs Ms. Usha Sharma and Secretary of Department of Sports Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi participated in Clean India drive at Nehru Park in Chanakyapuri today morning along with volunteers. Smt. Usha Sharma administered the Swachhta Pledge before the beginning of the cleanliness drive. Officials of Ministry of Youth Affairs, NYKS & NSS were present on this occasion.
Speaking on the occasion Ms. Usha Sharma said that the Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in commemoration of Azadi KaAmrit Mahotsava is organizing nationwide Clean India Programme from 1st October 2021 to 31st October 2021. The programme is being organised in 6 Lakh villages of 744 Districts across the country through the networks of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) affiliated Youth Clubs & National Service Scheme affiliated Institutions.
Ms. Usha Sharma further said that through this mega initiative, we have set the target of collecting 75 Lakh kg waste mainly plastic waste with the support and voluntary participation of citizen. “People of all section of the society are contributing in this programme and making this program a People’s Movement through Jan Bhagidari,” she added.
Speaking on the occasion Secretary of Department of Sports Ms. Sujata Chaturvedi said that through this programme we are trying to change the attitude of people, its only when people understand the importance of cleanliness that they make a habit of it.
Clean India is a youth-led programmebeingorganised through the networks of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), affiliated Youth Clubs & National Service SchemeAffiliated Institutions as well as a cross -section of various stakeholders. Specific segments of population such as Religious bodies, Teachers, Corporate Bodies, TV and Film Actors, Women’s Group and others are also participating in the Clean India Programme on a particular designated day to show their solidarity for the cause and making it public movement. The Cleanliness Drives is being undertaken at historic/iconic locations and hotspots such as Tourist Places, Bus Stand/Railway Stations, National Highway and Educational Institutions.
Swacchta Abhiyan was started by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi during 2014 and since then, remarkable headway can be noticed in this regard. The Clean India Programme is continuation of initiative spearheaded by the Prime Minister with renewed focus and commitment. It is expected that with the collective efforts of youth and fellow citizens and support from all stakeholders, India will without doubt embark on cleanliness drives and create better living conditions for its citizen.
