Environment Ministry to rope in IITs for cooling action plan

India’s contribution to the Montreal Protocol in terms of policy formulation is noteworthy. India has played a proactive role in the phaseout of production and consumption of Ozone Depleting Substances. This was stated by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Bhupendra Yadav at a programme organised to observe the 28th World Ozone Day in Mumbai on Friday. He said India is among the countries which has stated that the country's sustainable development will be such that net zero is achieved by 2070.

The minister informed that the government will soon be entering into collaboration with eight Indian Institutes of Technology (Bombay, Roorkee, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Guwahati, Banaras, Madras and Delhi) to promote research and development of chemicals with low global warming potential, including blends. These can be used as alternatives to substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

“The collaborative research will be done in line with industry requirements through engagement of research scholars, leading to the development of a robust R&D ecosystem in this area, and will also help promote the Make in India initiative of the government,” he said.

He highlighted the goals of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), which is a vision document developed by the MoEFCC to provide socio-economic and environmental benefits related to reduced refrigerant use, climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals over the period 2037-38.

Yadav said India has not been a traditional contributor to global emissions, but that in our actions, we are showing the intent to be a problem solver.