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Indo–US Cooperation on

Climate Change
The Road So Far
 "Finally, the Program aims, through these means, to bring a little
more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more
compassion into world affairs and thereby to increase the chance
that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship."

- SENATOR J. WILLIAM FULBRIGHT

Photo credits
• In main text
Involving children. Page 6 PC: Chanchal Singh Roy; Sowing the seed for a brighter future. Page 7 PC: Chanchal
Singh Roy; Children in Action. Page 8 PC: Chanchal Singh Roy.
• Page footer from left to right, from odd pages to even pages
Climate Change education. PC: Chanchal Singh Roy; Indian Rhinoceros. PC: Debal Ray; Glimpses of the Dessert. PC:
Ramesh Dhiman; Forest Fire. PC: Abha Mehndiratta; Tiger – the pride of India. PC: Samir Sinha;
Asteracea Flowers. PC: Abha Mehndiratta
• Back Cover
Asian Elephants on the move PC: Samir Sinha
 Indo-US Cooperation on

Climate Change
The Road So Far

Editors
Pushpakumar Lakshmanan, Nitish Dogra, Prachi Garg, Prachi Khandekar, Kunal Datta
On behalf of the Green Fulbrighters Forum Study Group

Green Fulbrighters Forum, India

2017
 TECHNICAL AND EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Technical Contributors (in order of last name)

Alka Bhargava Kunal Datta Pramod Deshmukh
Nitish Dogra Preeti Jain Meetu Khosla
Pushpakumar Lakshmanan Shailendra Mandal Tamara Marcus
Abha Mehndiratta Nidhi Nidhi Alexander O’Neill
Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan Debal Ray Anuradha Shukla
Samir Sinha Vandana Tyagi Shimray Vareichung

Editors (in order of contribution)

Pushpakumar Lakshmanan, Nitish Dogra, Prachi Garg, Prachi Khandekar, Kunal Datta

Editorial Assistants (in order of contribution)

Shachi Singh, Kumar Vibhanshu, Varun Kakde

Editorial Reviewers (in order of last name)

John Balbus, Jenny Li, Shafat Sultan,

Editorial Adviser
Ajay Raghava

Design
Prashansa Dixit

Cover Page Credit

TERI Press

About Green Fulbrighters Forum (GFF), India

The Green Fulbrighters Forum, India was set-up as the first discipline specific Fulbrighters
Forum in the country on World Environment Day 2015. It aims to bring together Indian and
US Fulbrighters working on environmental issues on one platform. Thus, it aims to boost
leadership and foster collaboration, thereby bringing about greater synergy in their work.
Ultimately working towards international exchange, environmental justice and peace, the
Forum aims to live up to the highest ideals for which the Fulbright program was established
in the first place.

This work has been brought out by the Green Fulbrighters Forum (GFF) Study Group
consisting of the Technical Contributors, Editors and Editorial Adviser.

Copyright © 2017 GFF Study Group.

Suggested citation: Lakshmanan, P. K., Dogra, N.K., Garg, P., Khandekar, P., Datta, K.
(2017). Indo-US Cooperation on Climate Change. The Road So Far. New Delhi: Green
Fulbrighters Forum, India.

Disclaimer: The contents and views expressed in this document are the personal views of
the contributors alone and do not in any way reflect the views of their affiliate
organisations, Green Fulbrighters Forum, USIEF, US Department of State or the
Government of India. Editors and others associated with the process of developing this
document cannot be held liable for errors or any consequences arising from the use of
information in this work.
 Acknowledgements

The Green Fulbrighters Forum, India would like to acknowledge the unmatched support
and encouragement of the USIEF in the course of development of this Working Paper. In
particular, we are indebted to Mr. Adam Grotsky, Executive Director of the USIEF, Dr. Diya
Dutt, Deputy Director, Dr. Sudarsan Dash, Ms. Pratibha Nair and Ms. Suranjana Das for their
unstinting support from the beginning of the idea to the final paper.

We sincerely thank our editorial advisor and editorial reviewers for their support as well as
time in guiding us and reviewing the document.

We are also grateful to Ms. Shachi Singh, Research Scholar, National Law University, Delhi;
Mr. Kumar Vibhanshu and Dr. Varun Kakde from TARU Leading Edge, New Delhi for their
editorial assistance, Prashansa Dixit for the design and TERI Press for the cover page. We
would also like to thank all those who have directly or indirectly supported and helped in
the preparation of this paper.

Editors

i
ii
 List of Abbreviations

AGGI Annual Greenhouse Gas Index

AWWA American Water Works Association
CCS Carbon Capturing and Storage
CDM Clean Development Mechanism
CGIAR Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research
CO2 Carbon dioxide
COP Conference of Parties
CSO Civil Society Organizations
EIS Epidemic Intelligence Service
EPA Energy Policy Act
EPA Environment Protection Agency
ESCO Energy Service Company
EWS Early Warning System
FEE Foreign Exchange Earnings
FSI Forest Survey of India
FTA Foreign Tourist Arrival
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GHG Green House Gas
GoI Government of India
GW Giga Watt
GWP Global Warming Potential
HCV Heavy Commercial Vehicles
HDI Human Development Index
HFC Hydro Fluorocarbons
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICMR Indian Council for Medical Research
IEA International Energy Agency
IFS Indian Forest Service
IIHMR Institute of Health Management Research
INDC Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IUSSTF Indo-US Science and Technology Forum
JI Joint Implementation
LCV Light Commercial Vehicles
LNG Liquefied Natural Gas
MMX Multi Commodity Exchange
MoAFW Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
MoEF Ministry of Environment and Forests
MoEF&CC Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
MoU Memorandum of Understanding
MRV Measurements, Reporting and Verification
N2O Nitrous Oxide
NAPCC The National Action Plan on Climate Change
NBPGR National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

iii
NDCDC National Centres for Disease Control
NFLC Nilgiri Field Learning Center
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NIH National Institutes of Health
NIMR National Institute of Malaria Research
NRDC National Resources Defense Council
PACE U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy
PFC Per Fluorocarbons
RED Reducing emissions from deforestation
REDD+ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
SANDRP South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People
SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar
SDG Sustainable Development Goals
SST Sea Surface Temperature
U.S. The United States
UCHAI Understanding Climate and Health Associations in India
UMich University of Michigan
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
USA United States of America
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USCDC United States Centre for Disease Control
USD United States Dollar
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
USFS United States Forest Service
USG United States Government
USTDA United States Trade and Development Agency
WIM Warsaw International Mechanism
WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council

iv
 List of Tables

TABLE 1: NATIONAL MISSIONS OF NAPCC, INDIA…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

TABLE 2: CASE STUDY ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND TRANSPORT………………………………………………………………………….....13

TABLE 3: STATE OF FORESTS IN INDIA………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....15

TABLE 4: HEALTH IN NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE………………………………………………………….……..18

TABLE 5: CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTING INDO-US COLLABORATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH………….……..19

TABLE 6: WILDLIFE WITHOUT BORDERS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...23

List of Figures

FIGURE 1 FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS (FTAS) IN INDIA FOR 2014………………………………………………………….....….. 21

v
vi
 Executive Summary

Indo-US cooperation on climate change has so far been a fascinating story. As an

indication of our times, the frequency, duration and severity of extreme events due to
increased emission of greenhouse gas emissions will only rise in the times to come. This
coupled with the normative changes expected only add to the urgency of action.

The Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 recognized the urgency and
irreversible threat posed by climate change to human societies and the planet as a
whole. It pressed for the widest possible cooperation by all countries to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions across the globe. The Agreement adopted a strategy to deal
with climate change with the help of nationally determined contributions submitted by
the Parties.

The Agreement has been ratified by 128 parties so far out of 197 countries. The
Agreement came into force on 4 November 2016. The world’s oldest and the largest
democracies, the U.S. and India, together account for one fourth of total global
population. Hence any cooperation between these two countries on climate change will
be a watershed for global governance in this critical area.

It was against this background that Fulbrighters working on environmental issues in

India came together under the umbrella body of the Green Fulbrighters Forum, India.
Accordingly, this Working Paper has carried out an analysis of cooperation on climate
change in eleven sectors, namely, law and policy, education, indigenous knowledge,
transport, forestry, energy and industry, health, tourism, agriculture, water and
biodiversity. The contributors have suggested measures to carry forward the bilateral
cooperation further in each sector. These are however not meant to be prescriptive in
any manner.

The road for India is likely to be far steeper than the United States in the wake of
developmental pressures and the resultant greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it
requires international collaborations to fulfil its commitments under its intended
nationally determined contribution (INDC). The Paris Agreement is an opportunity to
accelerate low carbon sustainable development model that arrests the drivers of
climate change while promoting economic growth and healthy living for all. While
market based solutions could act as a major game changers, utilization of low-cost
traditional knowledge and conventional practices of local people to reduce the impacts
of climate change also need consideration. Despite a slew of mitigation measures,
India's thrust remains on adaptation. As per one estimate, current spending on India’s
adaptation measures is around three percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). India
requires financial assistance, clean technologies and capacity enhancement to carry out
its efforts. Indo-U.S. cooperation on Climate Change is critical in these areas as we move
beyond Paris. In turn India has enormous human resource to offer to the world,
including the United States, both in terms of intellectual capital and technical skills.

vii
viii
 Contents
Section Contributor Page No.
Acknowledgements i
List of Abbreviations iii
List of Tables v
List of Figures v

Executive Summary
Nitish Dogra and Ajay Raghava vii
1. Introduction
Pushpakumar Lakshmanan 1
2. Cross-cutting themes
2.1 Law and Policy Pushpakumar Lakshmanan 3
2.2 Education Shimray Vareichung and Meetu Khosla 6
2.3 Indigenous Knowledge Abha Mehndiratta 9
3. Mitigation and Adaptation
3.1 Transport Anuradha Shukla and Nidhi Nidhi 12
3.2 Forestry Alka Bhargava 14
3.3 Energy and Industry Preeti Jain and Kunal Datta 16
3.4 Health Nitish Dogra 18
3.5 Tourism Samir Sinha 21
3.6 Biodiversity Vandana Tyagi, Debal Ray and 23
Alexander O’Neill
3.7 Agriculture Pramod Deshmukh and 25
Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan
3.8 Water Tamara Marcus and Shailendra Mandal 28
4. Conclusion
Prachi Garg 30
References 32
Bio-sketches of GFF Study Group 41

ix
 Indo-US Cooperation on Climate Change
The Road so Far

1. INTRODUCTION
Pushpakumar Lakshmanan

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992), (hereinafter
“the Convention”) creates legal obligations for the countries, that have ratified the Convention
(referred to as Parties to the Convention), to protect the global climate for present as well as
future generations (Preamble, UNFCCC). The ultimate objective of the Convention is to achieve
stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
harmful anthropogenic interference with the climate system (Article 2, UNFCCC). The
Convention was built on the principles of equity as well as common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective capabilities (Article 3, UNFCCC). While insisting on national,
regional and global cooperation for mitigation of climate change, the Convention provides for
financial mechanism, transfer of technology and capacity building (Article 4, 9, 11 UNFCCC).

In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention fixed specific emission reduction targets for the
developed countries mentioned in Annex 1 to the Convention. These countries committed to cut
down the emission of greenhouse gases individually or jointly, with a view to reducing their
overall emissions by at least 5% below 1990 levels in the first commitment period (2008-2012)
(Article 3.1, Kyoto Protocol). After the Kyoto Protocol came into force, international
negotiations were further undertaken to arrive at a legally binding outcome. The Bali Action
Plan (UNFCCC, 2007) advocated for a shared vision of long-term cooperation on adaptation,
mitigation, technology transfer and financial mechanism. Moving ahead, the Copenhagen Accord
in 2009 envisioned a Green Climate Fund and worked towards carving out mechanisms of
international measurements, reporting and verification (MRV). Further in 2010, the Cancun
Agreements created an Adaptation Framework, Technology Mechanism and formalized the
Green Climate Fund (UNFCCC, 2010). Thereafter, Durban Platform for Enhanced Action
(UNFCCC, 2011) vowed to develop “a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome
with legal force under the Convention and applicable to all parties”. Following this, the Warsaw
Conference (UNFCCC, 2013) sowed the seed for intended nationally determined contributions
(INDCs), the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ and the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM)
on Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change impacts. The Parties were urged to submit
their INDCs before the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21). A total of 189 Parties have submitted
their INDCs to UNFCCC (Source: Updated Synthesis Report on aggregate effect of INDCs
published on May 2, 2016). Lima Call for Climate Action (2014) laid out a road map for
submission and review of INDCs and concerted efforts to adopt the 2015 agreement.

The Paris Agreement (hereinafter “the Agreement”) adopted in December 2015 recognized the
urgency and irreversible threat posed by climate change to the human societies and the planet
as a whole. It pressed for widest possible cooperation by all countries to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions across the globe by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well
below 20C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to
1.50C above pre-industrial levels (Article 2.1(a), Paris Agreement). The Agreement has adopted
that all Parties are to undertake and communicate ambitious efforts in the form of nationally
determined contributions with a view to achieving the purpose of the Agreement (Article 3,
Paris Agreement).

1
It was against this background that Fulbright scholars under the banner of the Green
Fulbrighters Forum, India came together to carry out a section-by-section analysis of Indo-US
cooperation on climate change in the context of the Post-Paris Agreement climate regime. The
working paper was preceded by a brainstorming session titled Expectations from Paris: A
Climate for Change held in November 2015.

The world’s oldest and the largest democracies, the U.S. and India, together account for one
fourth of total global population. Hence any cooperation between these two countries on
climate change will be a watershed for global governance in this critical area. This ‘Working
Paper’ analyses eleven sectors, namely, law and policy, education, indigenous knowledge,
transport, forestry, energy and industry, health, tourism, agriculture, water and biodiversity.
The sectoral analysis looks at the critical issues of interest in India and the US, current level of
cooperation between the two countries and the need for further cooperation to deal with the
emerging issues of climate change.

LAUNCH OF THE WORKING PAPER AT USIEF ON THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF GFF, INDIA

2
2. CROSS-CUTTING THEMES

2.1 Law and Policy

Pushpakumar Lakshmanan

Background
Climate Change is a global problem and needs global solutions. The Paris Agreement, 2015
under the UNFCCC called for concerted efforts of all nations to pursue mitigation measures and
commit to nationally determined contributions to achieve the objectives of the Agreement
(Article 4, Paris Agreement). It has also encouraged several mitigation and adaption measures
by the State Parties. In addition, it has advocated financial assistance to developing countries by
the industrialized countries, technology development and transfer, capacity building and a
mechanism to facilitate implementation and compliance of the Agreement (Preamble and
Article 9, 10, 11, 15 of the Paris Agreement).
Climate Change Law and Policy in India Table 1 National Missions of NAPCC, India
As a country, highly vulnerable to climate change,
India has well laid out national level plans and 8 National Missions of NAPCC, India-
policy instruments to deal with climate change. In a
1. National solar mission
broad sense, the country has no dearth of
environmental laws as well as policies and has a 2. National mission for enhanced
strong environmental jurisprudence too. The energy efficiency
Constitution of India sets a mandate “to protect and 3. National mission on sustainable
improve the environment and to safeguard the habitat
forests and wildlife of the country” (Article 48-A, the
4. National water mission
Constitution of India).
5. National mission for sustaining the
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 Himalayan ecosystem
(Government of India, 1986) is the comprehensive 6. National mission for a green India
legislation that deals with all the aspects of
environment. The national ambient air quality 7. National mission for sustainable
standards have been issued under this Act. The Air agriculture
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 8. National mission on strategic
(Government of India, 1981) controls industrial air knowledge for climate change.
pollution. The Energy Conservation Act, 2001
(Government of India, 2001) lays out a clear road map for efficient energy use and conservation
by enforcing energy consumption norms for industries, energy labelling and standards for
electrical goods as well as energy efficient building codes through the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency. The 2010 amendment to the Energy Conservation Act introduced energy saving
certificates to encourage low level of consumption (The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act,
2010 (Government of India, 2010).

The National Environment Policy, 2006 ("National Environment Policy, 2006", 2006) promotes
sustainable development options and encourages co-benefit projects to be climate efficient. The
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008 (Prime Minister's Council on Climate
Change, 2008) is built on the principles of inclusive and sustainable development strategies.
These strategies are formulated with an aim to contribute towards mitigation of greenhouse gas
emissions, application of appropriate technologies for adaptation as well as mitigation and
promotion of new and innovative forms of market and voluntary mechanisms. NAPCC advocates
eight national plans as mentioned in the table.

3
Concerns of climate change are incorporated in the planning process of the States. So far 32
States and Union Territories in the country have promulgated their State level action plans for
climate change. Besides NAPCC, the Integrated Energy Policy and the National Electricity Policy
promises universalizing access to electricity to all (Government of India, 2005). In addition to
the policies and plans, a specific law to check climate change will surely enhance the efforts of
India in its contribution towards mitigation of climate change. For the time being, it is possible
to issue a notification or rules under the Environment (Protection) Act to regulate different
activities that adversely affect the climate.

India’s INDC

In its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) for the duration of 2021 to 2030,
India has committed to emissions intensity reduction of its GDP to the extent of 33-35 percent
by 2030 from 2005. ("India's Nationally Determined Contribution: Working towards Climate
Justice", 2015), It also committed itself to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion
tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. India also aims to
generate 40 percent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based
energy resources by 2030 with the help of technology transfer and international financing. The
National Policy on Biofuels aims at blending 20 percent biofuels with bio-diesel and bio-ethanol
(Government of India, 2008). In order to enhance carbon sequestration of 100 million tonnes of
CO2 equivalent annually, the Green India Mission Programme of the country promises planned
afforestation to increase 5 million hectares of forest or tree cover and to improve another 5
million hectares of forest or non-forest lands coupled with livelihood support. Two funding
mechanisms at the national level, namely the National Clean Environment Fund and National
Adaptation Fund have been created to support mitigation and adaptation programmes.

Climate Change Law and Policy in the United States

The U.S. has taken strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides other
regulations, the Clean Air Act (United States Publishing Office, 1963), the Energy Policy Act
(United States Publishing Office, 2005), and the Energy Independence and Security Act (United
States Publishing Office, 2007), play central role in controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the Clean Air Act (United States Publishing Office, 1963) the Department of Transport
and the EPA have issued fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty
vehicles. Under the same law, the EPA has mandated specific alternatives for high global
warming potential hydrofluorocarbons (high GWP HFCs) in some applications. It is pertinent to
note that HFCs and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) were already introduced to be phased out as ozone
depleting substances under the Clean Air Act Amendments, 1990 (United States Publishing
Office, 1990). Similarly, the Department of Transport and the EPA are working on new fuel
economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles to be applicable from 2018. The EPA is also
introducing new standards for methane emissions from landfills and oil and gas installations
(United States Government, 2015).

The U.S. Department of Energy has utilized the provisions of the Energy Policy Act and the
Energy Independence and Security Act to cut down emissions from building sector and
introduced energy conservation standards for many appliances and equipment as well as a
building code for residential buildings (United States Government, 2015).

4
INDC of the U.S.

The United States intends to achieve an economy-wide target of its greenhouse emissions by 26-
28 percent below its 2005 level by 2025. Towards this end, the United States has rolled out
clear-cut policy measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in a phased manner. Through
its INDC, the U.S. pledges to achieve 17 percent reduction below 2005 level by 2020; and a
further reduction of 9-11 percent by 2025, thereby cumulatively achieving the overall target of
28 percent. This eventually implies that the U.S. is making serious efforts towards mitigation of
climate change. The U.S. target includes all greenhouse gases and all IPCC sectors. The
interesting feature of the INDC is that the U.S. expects to account for 100 percent national
greenhouse gas emissions and removals by 2025 in relation to the base year 2005. However,
2025 target will be independent of international market mechanisms.

Indo-US Cooperation

Indo-US cooperation in technology transfer, financial support and capacity building can bring
about a big change in global climate change governance. Policy level cooperation between India
and the US ought to be feasible given the geo-political and strategic partnership between the
two countries. As it was demonstrated in the international negotiations, India and the U.S. look
at climate change as a critical issue but not through the identical lens. Legal or policy level
cooperation on climate specific issues, particularly on energy efficiency, reduction of air
pollution and dissemination of green technology could be thought of between the two countries
today. However, given the differences in developmental priorities, achieving an overall country
to country legal or policy level cooperation could be a challenge.

Conclusion

Even though all the State Parties have enthusiastically committed their nationally determined
contributions, pathways for implementation could be characterized by a difficulty gradient.
With technological and economic advantage, the U.S. is confident in translating its INDC into a
reality. But in contrast the road for India is likely to be steep. India requires financial resources,
green technologies and capacity enhancement to carry out its intended contributions.
Therefore, it requires international collaborations to fulfil its commitments under its INDC. It
has enormous human resources in terms of both intellectual capital and technical skills which it
can offer to the world in lieu of financial support and other technological cooperation.

It should consider the Paris Agreement as an opportunity to gear up to an energy efficient

sustainable development model that promotes economic growth, healthy living for people as
well as reducing pressure on global warming. While market based solutions could act as major
game changers, the utilization of low-cost traditional knowledge and conventional practices of
local people to reduce the effects of climate change also need consideration.

Notwithstanding many mitigation measures taken by India, its main thrust is primarily on the
side of adaptation. Current spending of India’s critical adaptation measures is estimated to be
around three percent of its GDP (INDC, India). India requires financial assistance, green
technologies and capacity enhancement to carry out its intended contributions. Indo-U.S.
cooperation is needed on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, mainly in relation
to financial and technical issues as well as capacity building. This would go a long way in
altering foreign policy dynamics and truly bringing about a Climate for Change between these
two great democracies.

5
2.2 Education
Shimray Vareichung and Meetu Khosla

Background

Studies suggest that by 2030, Asia will generate close to half of the world’s total carbon
emissions ("Education Sector responses to Climate Change. Background Paper with
International Examples," 2012). Hence it is imperative to increase our knowledge and
understanding of climate change phenomena and place effective mitigation and adaptation
strategies with the government as a key actor.

The Education sector has a fundamental role in developing knowledge, skills and capacities of
individuals and communities to adapt to climate change and to support mitigation efforts
("Education Sector responses to Climate Change. Background Paper with International
Examples", 2012). Planning, implementation and evaluation of the policy framework for school
and higher education are vital to bring about positive attitudinal change amongst society
towards the environment. Education has to address the challenges associated with climate
change by integrating climate change related knowledge and skills towards adaptation and
mitigation in the school curriculum while making students aware of their responsibilities and
how such values guide their lives and impact the environment. The Paris Agreement, 2015 also
affirmed the crucial role of education to address climate change. Coordinated efforts are
required between the educational and governmental institutions to mobilize a change in
perspective, preventing any harm or damage to the environment and promoting behaviors that
sustain a healthy environment. Comprehensive education programs involving research and
positive interventions enable schools, universities and the community to devise a plan for
improving the living conditions as well as reducing the impact or preventing any further
damage to the environment.

Context

Cooperation between India and the U.S. in the area of education, specifically on climate change
education, is yet to pick up momentum. However, mention may be made of the exchange
initiatives under the Fulbright-Nehru and other programs wherein there are opportunities for
scholars to take up studies related to climate change education. But it is also observed that
collaborations between educational institutions of the two countries are mostly related to
engaging on scientific and technical research related to climate change. Such collaborations
need to be more encompassing to include educational strategies and curricular practices which
are inevitable components to bring about effective teaching and learning of climate change that
can impact the attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles of students.

Photo 1: Involving Children

6
Status

It is clear that India is committed to capitalize on the role of education to tackle the challenges
associated with climate change. While addressing the UN Summit for the adoption of Post-2015
Development Agenda in September 2015, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi said; “[I]t
is equally critical to launch a global education programme that prepares our next generation to
protect and conserve Nature...” ("India's Nationally Determined Contribution: Working Towards
Climate Justice", 2015). Several interventions are already in place in the form of national policy
and judicial intervention that could address such concerns. For example, the National Policy on
Education 1986 (Government of India, 1986), which gives direction in matters of education in
India, strongly advocates the inclusion of environmental education cutting across different
stages of education. Besides, the Honorable Supreme Court of India in its order of 1991
(National Council of Educational Research and Training, 2006) directed all the States and the
Union Territories to make environmental education as a compulsory subject in all stages of
education.

Photo 2: Sowing the Seed for a brighter future.

In the light of these interventions, environmental education is now an integral part of the
curriculum in schools as well as in higher education. Policy makers in India now need to decide
on a special education policy on climate change education instead of, or in addition to the
already existing compulsory environmental education program. In the U.S., there have been
positive developments on climate education. The importance of incorporating global climate
change in the curriculum throughout K-12 has been highlighted in The Framework for K-12
Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and Core Ideas (National Research Council of
the National Academies, 2012) and the same has found place in the Next Generation Science
Standards for middle and high schools (NGSS Partners (National Research Council, National
Science Teachers Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and
Achieve, 2013).

Conclusion

The role that education can play in tackling climate change cannot be over emphasized.
Towards this end, innumerable researches are being conducted in the institutes of higher
education to develop new technologies and innovative approaches to adapt to or mitigate
climate change. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Centre for
Atmospheric Sciences, Centre for Energy Studies, Centre for Rural Development Technology all
constituents of the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi; the Centre for Environmental
Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), School of Environmental Studies (SES) at the

7
University of Delhi; G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, Almora;
Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, etc. are just some of the institutes
where research related to climate change are being undertaken. However, little significance is
accorded to the curriculum and its transactional strategies which is especially true in the
context of India. For example, how climate change is taught in the classrooms or how students
are engaged in climate change related activities do not receive much attention. The methods and
pedagogical processes used in the classrooms or outside impact students in several ways. These
include not just the obvious in terms of their understanding about climate change but also in
terms of values, habits, and behaviors, which can be considered the indispensable “tools” to
tackle climate change.

Photo 3: Children in Action

Keeping this in view, India and the U.S. may consider the following suggestions as part of their
initiatives to address climate change:

(i) Collaborative projects to strengthen climate change education in India and the U.S. For
example, both the countries can work on goal-oriented projects involving important
stakeholders in the area of education, especially formal school education. Projects such
as Mission India Greening Projects of the Embassy of the United States in India (U.S.
Embassy & Consulates in India, 2017) may be expanded to have a wider-reaching
impact. Another collaborative project could be in the form of development of model
curriculum on climate education for different stages of education and teacher education
programs involving experts from both the countries.

(ii) Exchange programs of experts and students between both the countries to share their
experiences. For example, Daulat Ram College, New Delhi has academic interaction
programs every alternate year with St. Olaf College, Minnesota, to promote awareness
and promotion of environmental sustainability.

(iii) Training of teachers and other stakeholders working in the area of education to enhance
their capacities in addressing climate change through education.

8
2.3 Indigenous Knowledge
Abha Mehndiratta

Background
Indigenous people are one the most vulnerable to climate change since their livelihood depends
upon natural resources and they often inhabit fragile ecosystems like small islands, high-
altitude zones, dense forests, desert margins and the circumpolar arctic.

Climate change is, increasingly affecting indigenous peoples or tribal communities of India living
in high altitude areas like the Himalayan region or forests of States like Chattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. In the Himalayan region, melting of the glaciers is resulting in
more water in the short term, but less in the long run as glaciers and snow cover shrink. Climate
change poses more danger in these high mountains, since ‘even small shifts in temperature can
jeopardize the fragile balance of natural environments, which are defined by extreme climatic
conditions, steep topography, along with a wide variety of ecological zones as well as associated
microhabitats with distinct biodiversity’ (Kotru et al., 2014).

Climate change has also caused substantial impact on forest ecosystems where the tribal
communities called the “adivasis” live. The tribal economy in forests is dependent on Non-
Timber Forest Products (NTFP) like fruits, leaves and flowers. Climate change ‘is affecting the
phenology and the reproductive biology of various trees, shrubs and herbaceous plant species.
Various research data suggest change in temperature and rainfall pattern affecting the NTFP
production-both qualitatively and quantitatively (for example, lac), and which will in turn affect
the dependent economy of the local people’ (Planning Commission of India, 2011).

In the U.S, traditional and subsistence lifestyle is prominently seen amongst the indigenous
people living in Alaska. The Inuit, the indigenous people of Alaska depend on hunting, fishing,
herding reindeer and gathering. These people are now faced with change in species and
availability of traditional food sources, increased unpredictability of weather conditions, and
increased danger in travel over changing ice, which has caused threat to human health and food
security (UNEP, 2017). Native American communities in other parts of the U.S. are also being
impacted by climate change. For example, tribes residing on land within the Colorado River
watershed in the States of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California are
likely to face water shortage due to climate change. By 2050, the Colorado River stream flow is
predicted to decrease by as much as 45 percent due to reduced snowpack in the mountains of
its watershed (Udall, 2007).

Reliance on traditional ecological knowledge has historically guided the interaction indigenous
people have had with natural resources (Berkes, 2012). While, indigenous people live upon 22%
of the global land area, this area coincides with 80 % of the biodiversity on the earth (Sobrevila,
2008). Hence, approximately 370 million indigenous people, constituting approximately 5% of
the world population, are instrumental in conserving 80 % of the world’s biodiversity. One in
six species could face extinction if climate change proceeds as expected (Urban 2015).
Application of traditional knowledge to enhance the resilience of ecosystems is thus of
importance for both India and the U.S.

9
Global Status

Traditional ecological knowledge ‘is acknowledged as having fundamental importance in the

management of local resources, in the husbanding of the world’s biodiversity, and in providing
locally valid models for sustainable living’ (Turner, Ignace, & Ignace, 2000). The recently signed
Paris agreement ‘recognizes the need to strengthen knowledge, technologies, practices and
efforts of local communities and indigenous peoples related to addressing and responding to
climate change, and establishes a platform for the exchange of experiences and sharing of best
practices on mitigation and adaptation in a holistic and integrated manner’ (UNFCCC, 2015).
Previous reports have also highlighted the importance of indigenous knowledge. This includes,
the contribution of the IPCC’s Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) with local
and traditional knowledge included as a separate topic within Chapter 12 on human security
(Nakashima, McLean, Thulstrup, Castillo, & Rubis, 2012). The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4)
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also acknowledged indigenous
knowledge as ‘an invaluable basis for developing adaptation and natural resource management
strategies in response to environmental and other forms of change’ (IPCC, 2007). The IPCC’s
32nd Session in 2010 also reiterated the recognition of traditional and indigenous knowledge
and included this in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF) that was adopted by Parties at the
2010 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference in
Cancun (UNFCCC, 2010).

Current Status in India and the U.S.

Indigenous peoples in North America have used traditional indigenous knowledge and wisdom
to live within and relate to the natural resources around them. In the U.S., the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), United States Department of Agriculture has established methods
for its employees to utilize indigenous knowledge for conservation practices (NRCS/Native
Practices Work Group, 2010). An example of this is the use of fire as an ecosystem management
tool. American Indians burned parts of the ecosystems in which they lived to promote a
diversity of habitats, which gave greater security and stability to their lives (Williams, 2005).
The fire established "mosaics, resource diversity, environmental stability, predictability, as well
as ensuring maintenance of ecotones’ (Lewis, 1985). In recent years, the ecological role of fire
has gained attention and is exemplified by the ‘Interagency Prescribed Fire Planning and
Implementation Procedures Guide’ book published by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
and U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI) in 2008. This guidebook serves groups such as the
USDA, the USDOI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Park Service and provides
guidelines for prescribed fire planning. It states ‘prescribed fire is used to alter, maintain, or
restore vegetative communities; achieve desired resource conditions; and to protect life,
property, and values that would be degraded and/or destroyed by wildfire’ (US Department of
Agriculture and US Department of the Interior, 2008).

In India, traditional knowledge has developed and passed through generations in various forms
like stories, songs, customs, healing arts, and agricultural practices. An example of this is
demonstrated in the Malkangiri district of Odisha, a State in India where an ethnobotanical
survey revealed that the tribal people used 134 plant species for their medicinal properties
(Prusti and Behera, 2007). In recent years, India has initiated the process of documentation of
traditional knowledge in the country. The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) has
been developed to create a digital database of traditional knowledge prevailing in the country. It
is a collaborative project of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the
Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

10
Opportunities for Indo-US Research Collaboration

Though there are several initiatives supported by the Indian and the U.S. Government in their
respective countries to increase the utilization of indigenous knowledge, there is a need for
more inter-country collaboration on how they can use traditional knowledge to combat climate
change. Indigenous peoples have always been keen observers of climate changes and have
provided valuable information on changes in temperature; precipitation; seasons and
phenology; wind intensity and storms; glaciers, snow cover, rivers and lakes; and species
variation. In addition to being keen observers, indigenous people have also continuously
adapted to changing conditions by applying traditional knowledge. For example, the use of a
variety of crops or biodiversity has been one of the key methods by which Indigenous peoples
have countered climatic change (Salick & Byg, 2007). Hence, there is a need for more Indo-US
research on indigenous methods to observe climatic changes and adapt to them. This
interchange is likely to benefit human health as well since traditional ecological knowledge also
contains information on medicinal use of plants and animals.

Conclusion

Indigenous peoples in India and the US have traditionally revered nature and the plant and
animal life around them. The close connection between the indigenous peoples and their
environment has enabled them to detect impact of climatic changes at an earlier stage. Their
lifestyle has been instrumental in conserving biodiversity, which in turn has helped them to
adapt. In addition to highlighting the greater need for research, indigenous way of living itself
provokes deep reflection regarding the need for a more sustained human lifestyle harmonious
with its living environment, in both India and the U.S. Somehow, majority of humans today fail
to appreciate the traditional wisdom of indigenous peoples which could help in dealing with
climate change in many ways. In fact, their wisdom goes beyond the conservation ethos and
connects to the ethical values and spiritual dimensions of environment. The words of Al Gore
aptly capture this idea; “The more deeply I search for the roots of the global environmental
crisis, the more I am convinced that it is an outer manifestation of an inner crisis that is, for lack
of a better word, spiritual ... what other word describes the collection of values and assumptions
that determine our basic understanding of how we fit into the universe?” (Gore, 1993).

11
3. MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION
3.1 Transport
Anuradha Shukla and Nidhi Nidhi

Background

Transportation is a vital part of the economy. It is also a significant source of air pollution and
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rapid urbanization and population growth, coupled with
increased average income and consumption level of people, have resulted in rising travel
demand, and consequently increased greenhouse gas emissions. Global fossil fuel related CO2
emissions from transportation sector have grown by 45% from 1990 to 2007 ("WEO2009",
2009).

Status in India

The demand for transportation has increased significantly during the past decades due to
overall economic development in India. The transport demand refers to the amount and type of
travel people would choose to pursue under specific conditions, taking into account factors such
as the quality of transport options available and the cost involved. Over the past decade, the
growth rate of transport demand has exceeded the growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP)
in India (Clean Air Asia, 2012). This growth in travel demand has led to a manifold increase in
energy use and carbon emissions. The number of vehicles has increased nine times and freight
and passenger travel demand has increased four-fold. This has led to increased gasoline and
diesel consumption quadrupling between 1980 and 2000 (Singh et al. 2008). Various studies in
India have shown a direct relationship between the increase in the number of vehicles on the
road, the number of vehicle kilometres travelled, fuel consumption, and resulting vehicular
emissions (Bhattacharya and Mitra, 1998; Ramanathan and Parekh 1999; Singh et.al 2008).

Railways and roads are major modes of transportation in India. Studies in India have been done
to estimate the inventory of GHG emissions along with other pollutants as well as the effect of
vehicular emission on ambient air and health in urban areas (Gurjar, van Aardenne, Lelieveld, &
Mohan, 2004; Ravindra, Wauters, Tyagi, Mor, & Van Grieken, 2006; Jalihal & Reddy, 2006;
Sharma & Pundir, 2008; Ramachandra & Shwetmala, 2009; Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change (MoEFCC), 2012). The latest research from the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) projects a six-fold increase in transport fuel consumption in India from
2010 to 2050, under business as usual growth (Dhar, Pathak, & Shukla, 2013), while credible
recent estimates for India's transportation energy use project the fastest growth rate in the
world, averaging 5.1% per year, compared to the world average of 1.1% per year (U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA). Thus, transport emissions can be seen as a function of vehicle
kilometres travelled, vehicle fuel consumption and fuel carbon intensity (Ewing, Bortholomew,
Winkelman, Walters, & Chen, 2017). Accordingly, there is a need for strategies to reduce
transport emissions by target of these three components. Adoption of an integrated and holistic
approach could perhaps be the best possible way to deal with the issues of GHG emissions from
the transport sector.

12
Table 2: Case study on Climate Change and Transport

Ind0-US Cooperation on State of the Art Intelligent Transportation System

Transportation system is of paramount concern among policy makers, researchers, and automobile
manufacturers today. Increasing traffic congestions, injuries and deaths in road accidents have made it
one of the world’s largest “public health” and “injury prevention” problem. The worldwide mortality
rate is approximately 1.25 million annually from road accidents alone. India ranks highest in road
fatalities across the globe. Road accidents will be the 7th primary cause of death by 2030 if no action is
taken soon. Recently, the attention towards road safety has been internationally recognized in 2030
Sustainable Development agenda. The aim of this agenda is to achieve 50% reduction in road deaths
by 2020 which will have massive impact on health and environment ("Road traffic injuries", 2016).

The idea of so called “Intelligent Transportation System” (ITS) came into picture to mitigate the effects
of congestions, accidents and crashes. ITS introduce Information Technology to the vehicles to make
driving safer, efficient and comfortable. Hence, vehicular communication network emerged to enable
a communication web among vehicles and road side infrastructures. Such vehicular communication
permits the ‘fully connected’, ‘information–rich’, ‘quick’ and ‘cost-efficient’ distribution of data for the
benefit of passenger’s safety, comfort and decreases the negative environmental impacts. According
to 2011, Applications for the Environment: Real-time Information Synthesis (AERIS) report conducted
by U.S. Department of Transportation; has highlighted the ITS strategies which include adaptive cruise
control (ACC), eco-driving assistance, and eco-routing that attempt to influence driving behavior in a
manner which reduces the overall emissions. It also includes traffic management and control
strategies that dynamically manages the traffic, reduces the congestion, re-routes the traffic, and
hence, decreases the fuel consumption and overall emission generation (AERIS, 2011). The area of ITS
is currently actively being explored as an area of cooperation between the two countries with respect
to the area of transportation in specific and climate mitigation in general.

Status in the U.S.

According to a Pew Centre report, Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation
sector in the U.S. account for 27 percent of the GHG emissions of the entire U.S. economy and 31
percent of the world’s transportation GHG emissions. Further, the report also shows that
through a combination of policies and improved technologies such as improving vehicle
efficiency, shifting to less carbon intensive fuels, operating more efficiently and changing travel
behaviour, it is possible to reduce GHG emissions from the transportation sector (Greene &
Plotkin, 2011)

Conclusion

While policies, needs, and the local context vary between India and the U.S., the topic of
greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector is one that provides many avenues for
future research and collaboration between India and the U.S., for example in mitigation
strategies, inventory and modelling approaches as well as innovative data collection and use.
One good example is the Indo-US Workshop on Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions,
supported by Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF). On 25 January 2015, both the
countries agreed on starting technical cooperation on heavy-duty vehicles and transportation
fuels to reduce the environmental and emissions impact of these sources by working to adopt
cleaner fuels, emissions, and efficiency standards in India.

13
3.2 Forestry
Alka Bhargava

Background
Forestry emission reduction projects under Kyoto Protocol were limited to afforestation and
reforestation only, being 0.9% in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and 0.3% in Joint
Implementation (JI) (O'Sullivan, Moore, Wolosin, & Lee, 2012). There is a growing recognition of
the central role played by forests as a carbon sink. A coalition of nine rain forest countries led by
the governments of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica drew the global attention to the growing
threat of deforestation by introducing the concept of reducing emissions from deforestation
(RED) at COP 11 Montreal 2005 (Government of Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, 2005). In
this context, India proposed a new policy titled “Compensated Conservation” at COP 12 Nairobi
2006 (Government of India, 2007). Subsequent negotiations led to Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) emerging as a UNFCCC mitigation mechanism at
COP 16 held at Cancun in 2010 (Austin, Daviet, & Stolle, 2010). Subsequently, an agreed
framework of REDD+ was finalized at COP 19 at Warsaw in 2013 ("Warsaw Framework for
REDD-plus", 2013).

COP 21 Strategies Compliant INDC of India

REDD+, now at center stage in the discourse on forests vis-à-vis climate change, finds a
categorical mention in the agreement at COP 21 Paris in Article 5 (2). Additional articles therein
also guide sustainable management of forests in the signatory countries (UNFCCC, 2015)

India’s allocates the role of the forestry sector towards achieving national climate change
mitigation goals as “Enhancing Forest Carbon Sinks by creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5
to 3 billion tons (metric) of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030”
("India's Nationally Determined Contribution: Working Towards Climate Justice", 2015). The
following suggestions from the Paris Agreement shall be useful in developing India’s strategies
to achieve the above goals (UNFCCC, 2015).

1. Robust measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of carbon stocks, a major link, which
hindered formulation and registration of forestry projects under CDM.
2. Gender responsive, participatory and fully transparent adaptation action.
3. Protection of traditional knowledge and knowledge of indigenous people [paragraph 5 of
Art 7, Paris Agreement]
4. Synchronization of forest-related plans and activities within the INDCs and State Climate
Change Action Plans
5. Collaboration with other land use departments to develop jurisdictional REDD+ projects
[paragraph 7 of Art 4: mitigation co-benefits resulting from Parties’ adaptation actions/and
or economic diversification can contribute to mitigation outcomes]
6. Capacity building, technology development and exchange [Art 6, Paris Agreement]
7. Inclusivity, including community based MRV protocols, to enable forest communities to
partake in climate change policies and benefit sharing
8. Tap both market and non-market sources of funding [III-55]
9. Non-carbon co-benefits – social, environment and governance [III-55]

14
 Table 3: State of Forests in India The Paris Agreement will also be in
Source: India, State of Forest Report 2015.
synchrony with Goal 13 of SDGs 2030,
that is “Taking Urgent Action to Combat
State of Forests of India, 2015 (compared to 2013) Climate Change” and Goal 15 which
Forest cover 70.17 million ha relates to “Biodiversity, Forests and
(+0.38 m ha) Deforestation. All the 8 points of INDC of
Total growing stock 5768 m cum
India address Goal 13 with Point 5
(+110.34 m cum)
aiming to create additional carbon sinks
Total forest carbon stock 7044 m tonnes
through increased tree cover ought to
(+103m tonnes)
address Goal 15.
Indo-US Collaboration
The historical connection between systematic forestry in the USA and India goes back to Gifford
Pinchot, the first Chief of US Forest Service (USFS) and Dietrich Brandis, a German forester and
mentor of Pinchot who became the first Inspector General of Forests of India. A USAID assisted
REDD+ preparedness project Forest PLUS is being implemented in 4 States of India namely
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. This has immense learning
potential for non-participating States also. Michigan State University is a major partner in MRV
systems together with Forest Survey of India and State Governments (USAID, 2014). Further,
senior officers of the Indian Forest Service have been spending 2-3 weeks at Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University and Yale University for exposure to
international best practices ("Maxwell School of Syracuse University", 2017). The Indian
Reservations of the US have commonalities with the Autonomous District Councils of north-east
India, in that both of them emphasize safeguarding interests of communities.

Conclusion

• Assam, a State in India, is developing a first of its kind jurisdictional REDD+ pilot project,
with 4 land use departments with financial assistance from the Green Climate Fund.
• Twinning arrangements between cities of US and India to work towards carbon
neutrality should be worked out.
• Premier institutions of India like Forest Survey of India (FSI), Indian Remote Sensing
Institute, National Remote Sensing Agency and US counterparts should collaborate in
spatial technology, remote sensing data and analysis.
• Modern technologies like Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) should be taken up with
Forest-PLUS having an India SAR Task Force of experts from both countries (USAID,
2014).
• Collaborations between academia and civil society should be developed for cross
pollination of ideas and knowledge since development of REDD project design
documents, registering and securing financing hinge on multi-disciplinary expertise.
• Proactive steps like Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, California Cap and Trade
Program, Western Governors Association may be adapted to the Indian context.
• Having included future tracings in carbon in the Multi Commodity Exchange (MMX),
India is now Asia’s first commodity exchange country and also amongst the selected few
European Climate Exchange countries that offer trade in carbon credits. Currently,
India's contribution to carbon credits is at $1 billion, out of a global trading of about $5
billion. India has generated about 30 million carbon credits and has a line-up of about
140 million to introduce into the global market (Malav et al 2015). Hence the
registration of more REDD+ projects in India and exchange of knowledge between the
two countries would bring in more carbon credits serving the cause of conservation as
well as safeguarding the rights of the forest communities as well.

15
3.3 Energy and Industry
Preeti Jain and Kunal Dutta

Background

Energy production and its use account for two thirds of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions
(GHGs). Though Oil & Gas sector directly contributes to only 6% of global CO2 emissions; the use
of oil products for transportation, industry, power etc. accounts for approximately 50% of GHGs,
prompting the debate to manage GHG emissions associated with the sector and thus, address the
climate change. For the Oil industry, the key strategies to mitigate GHG emissions include energy
efficiency, process intensification, carbon capturing & storage (CCS) as well as alternative fuels
including natural gas and biofuels. India’s energy demand is projected to nearly doubled by 2040
with a renewed focus of energy security and climate commitments offering tremendous
opportunities for Indo-US partnership ("Publication: WEO-2015 Special Report 2015: Energy
and Climate Change", 2015).

Challenges of Energy Access

Energy access is deeply interlinked with a number of other issues that India faces today.
Increased access to energy leads to improvements in education, agriculture, industry, health,
water, and potentially even gender equality.

Access to the grid varies across the country. Higher access often corresponds with higher
income level, and proximity to more urban areas. Kerosene use in rural India is ubiquitous in
areas where the grid has not reached or is unreliable. The health and safety hazards aside, the
monetary cost of kerosene is extremely high.

In addition to these, there are a number of implementation challenges that government bodies,
and ESCOs face in energy sector. These include, payment collection, system maintenance and
operation, electricity pilferage, decentralized distribution of system components and
expectation management.

Given these circumstances the rise in demand for energy in the country, India needs
international cooperation and collaborations to meet its energy requirements. Indo-US
partnership will prove beneficial in this regard.

Indo-US Cooperation
India’s energy mix is dominated by coal (44%) as well as oil (23%) and this is projected to
continue. To meet burgeoning energy demands, the Indian Government has plans to expand
natural gas share, an environment friendly fuel, from current 7% share to closer to world average
of 25% by overcoming infrastructure and supply constraints (IEA 2015).
US Agencies can play an important role in India's gas journey through technical and financial
support for infrastructure creation, harnessing domestic conventional and unconventional gas
reserves (shale gas, gas hydrates etc.) and by establishing the partnerships that will help in the
energy market development. India’s resilient gas demand can offer a steady market for US,
increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies with its shale gas emergence.
Improving energy efficiency in refineries is another effective tool for GHG mitigation. In the past,
the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as the US Trade and Development Agency
(USTDA) had initiated dialogue on the subject. Through this process, US expertise can help
Indian refiners, especially the state owned refineries for efficiency by way of technologies thus

16
achieving operational excellence (Key recommendations of the Expert Workshop on Carbon
Emission Management, 2015). With India’s growing emphasis on efficiency gain, such
cooperation should be resumed with USTDA.
Indian Oil industry has taken significant steps for fuel quality improvement. India will have a
supply of 50 ppm sulfur fuels (gasoline and diesel) by April 2017 (The Hindu, 2015). Further, the
refiners have mandate to start supplying 10 ppm sulfur fuels (gasoline & diesel) by April 2020
with the investments worth Rs. 30,000-35,000 crores (State-run refiners to invest Rs. 30,000-
35,000 crore, India Infoline News Service, January 21, 2016). These initiatives are being taken to
allow implementation of stringent emissions norms to achieve cleaner air. However, as India still
has a large share of older fleet of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and heavy commercial vehicles
(HCVs), the use of low sulfur fuels may not bring desired environmental benefits, thus bringing in
a need for retrofits. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resource
Board (CARB) have established a number of retrofit programs in US and such experience can be
shared with Indian agencies to help mitigating transport related GHGs.
Oil Industry has ventured upon biofuels blending as an immediate solution to mitigate carbon
emissions though these programs witnessed limited success attributed to constraints in their
supply (Biofuel Promotion in India for Transport: Exploring the Grey Areas, TERI Policy Brief,
2015). With India’s transport fuel demand slated to increase significantly, the Government has
recently accorded support to enhance share of advanced bio-fuels. In this context, Indo-US
partnership can be of immense value helping India to diversify energy basket and enhance
biofuels production
For India as well as the U.S., coal is projected to play a key role in the energy basket for electricity
production. Amidst their environment commitments, it will be vital for India and US to cooperate
for strategies like carbon capture and storage through joint research programs which have
significant potential for mitigating climate change and could be another domain of mutual
cooperation.
For India, the efficient carbon management strategies would indeed add to twin benefits of
managing and mitigating GHG emissions while reducing import dependence. In this direction, the
Indo-US cooperation will certainly provide a platform where our bold actions will help combat
climate change for building a sustainable future for the coming generations.

Conclusion

India a developing economy is at a juncture where it has to strike a balance between its
economic aspirations and global climate commitments. In today’s world where collaborations is
the key for sustainable growth; adopting enhanced governance mechanisms, improved
legislative measures and technology penetration through promotion of Indo-US cooperation
would certainly be vital in going forward. Such steps in the energy sector will also provide fillip
to different other sectors of the economy thereby contributing towards sustainable
development.

17
3.4 Health
Nitish Dogra

Background
The fifth assessment report of the IPCC has clearly demonstrated the link between climate change
and human health ("IPCC Fifth Assessment report, WGII Chapter 11: Human health: impacts,
adaptation, and co-benefits — Climate-ADAPT," 2014). The Paris Agreement has also highlighted
the right to health in relation to climate change ("India's Intended Nationally Determined
Contribution: Working towards Climate Justice", 2014). India is particularly vulnerable since it is
disaster prone, with adverse human development index (HDI) and a high population density
("Health in South East Asia A SEARO Newsletter", 2009), ("Human Development Reports," 2017),
("Population density (people per sq. km of land area) | Data," 2017).

Table 4: Health in National Action Plan for Climate Change The Government of India has enunciated
areas of priority for enhanced health care
Health Priorities in National Action Plan services in the National Action Plan for
for Climate Change (2008)
Climate Change (NAPCC) (see table)
Areas Studies needed
Air Pollution/ Ecological study for ("National Action Plan on Climate Change",
Pollen asthma/respiratory disease and 2008). According to the INDC for India
effects of climate change presented at Paris, health will be taken up
GIS Health facilities access route on mission mode under NAPCC ("Adoption
mapping in areas prone to climatic of the Paris Agreement", 2015). Health has
extremes
Climatology High-resolution weather and climate also been recognized as one of four areas of
data for regional disease pattern priority for adaptation as per the 4x4
Epidemiology Prioritization on basis of assessment report of the Ministry of
epidemiologic data and climate Environment, Forest and Climate Change
vulnerability along with forestry, water and agriculture
Vector dynamics Studies on the response of disease
vectors to climate change
("Climate Change and India: A 4x4
Modeling High-resolution health impact model Assessment", 2010). Similarly, the US has
at the state level recognized the grave threats that climate
Health Systems Enhanced health facilities provision change poses for its people as per a recent
and implementation of public health report. This assessment provides additional
measures
evidence for the climate and health linkages
in the United States and its associated health
outcomes. It also identifies vulnerable groups and emerging concerns ("The Impacts of Climate
Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment", 2017)

History of Cooperation
At the Government to Government level a MOU on environmental health and related areas
exists between the US and India. Education and training, research, infrastructure development
and capacity for health impacts of climate change is expected to be accelerated through this
arrangement ("Guidelines for International Collaboration/Research Projects in Health
Research", 2016). In 2009 the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR) and the University of Michigan (UMich) organized the2009 Joint Indo–
U.S. Workshop on Climate Change and Health in Goa, India ("Environmental Health Perspectives
– Impacts of Climate Change on Public Health in India: Future Research Directions", 2011).

18
In addition, several US Universities have been conducting research projects related to climate
change and health. Illustrative examples include collaboration between the Johns Hopkins
University and the Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) for child health in
Sundarbans as well as the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Cholera and
Enteric Diseases for diarrhoea in Kolkata ("Sundarbans Health Watch - Series 1: How healthy
are the children of the Sundarbans", 2013), (Constantin de Magny et al., 2008). In 2012, a
comprehensive edited volume entitled “Climate Change and Disease Dynamics in India” was
brought out by a multidisciplinary group of authors. These included experts from India and US
amongst other countries ("Climate Change and Disease Dynamics in India by Nitish Dogra and
Sangeet Srivastava", 2012).
Also, at times of climate disasters, the two countries have provided assistance to each other.
Apart from consistent USG humanitarian assistance following disasters in India, GoI also
contributed 5 million US dollars to the US Red Cross as well as relief material after hurricane
Katrina ("Welcome to Embassy of India, Washington D C, USA", 2005).

Current Status
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) organized the workshop Understanding Climate and
Health Associations in India (UCHAI) in September 2015 ("Environmental Factor - November
2015: NIEHS and India meet at the intersection of climate change and health", 2017) This was
the most extensive, systematic training effort in the country on this subject and it also included
several Fulbrighters. UCHAI is now into a continuation phase where a virtual platform, Skype
sessions, social media forums are being developed.

The National Centres for Disease Control (NDCDC) in India has started an Epidemic Intelligence
Service (EIS) program in collaboration with the US CDC ("EIS Advertisement", 2014). It is
expected that some of the professionals completing the EIS program will work on climate and
health related issues.

In addition, proposals invited by The Global Resilience Partnership convened by USAID and the
Rockefeller Foundation will also pave the way for new Indo-US collaborations ("Global
Resilience Partnership", 2014).

Ongoing projects include the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan being carried out by Indian Institute
of Public Health, Gandhinagar and US partners University of Washington along with Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and others. Lessons from Ahmedabad are not only being
extended to other cities in India but also to New York City ("City resilience toolkit: response to
deadly heat waves and preparing for rising temperatures”, 2016)

19
Table 5 Case Study on Climate Change and Health

Indo-US research collaboration leads to breakthrough discovery of trans-Atlantic phenomenon.

A team of researchers from University of Michigan, U.S.A. worked with the National Institute
of Malaria Research (NIMR) (an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) intramural
institute in New Delhi for developing a climate based early warning system (EWS). A
breakthrough finding of the group was that sea surface temperature (SST) of the tropical
south Atlantic is related to monsoon rainfall and malaria epidemics in the district of Kutch in
arid north-west India. SST can give a warning of outbreaks about four months in advance
(Laneri et al., 2017). This preparation time can be very useful for health administrators to put
in place appropriate measures which can reduce the impact of the disease outbreak. The case
study exemplifies the complex linkages between climate change and disease dynamics. NIMR
continues to expand work to other areas such as the State of Tripura in north-east India.
(Nizamuddin, Kogan, Dhiman, Guo & Roytman, 2013) Studies from other parts of the world
have shown that benefits of EWS exceed costs by more than ten times ("Global assessment
report on disaster risk reduction (2011) – UNISDR," 2011).

Conclusion
The way ahead ought to ensure that health is prioritized in the international and bilateral policy
debate in both countries since the impacts ultimately strikes human well-being and existence. In
addition, the following broad areas need to be addressed.
• Research: Collaboration between the two countries needs to be intensified. These include
support not only for academic and research institutions but also think tanks and civil
society organizations (CSOs). As an example, civil society organization Sanskriti
Samwardhan Mandal lead by Fulbrighter Pramod Deshmukh in drought hit Maharashtra is
doing exemplary work in the field of agriculture. Not only can this be an excellent
laboratory for funding research but it can also ideal for mobilizing development
professionals and young research scholars to work on associated health challenges such as
malnutrition.
• Transfer of technology: This aspect needs urgent attention. As an example, climate-sensitive
early warning systems (such as the UMich and NIMR) need to be rapidly operationalized in
many cities for a range of outcomes including malaria, dengue, diarrhoea and heat waves.
Technology such as sensors and monitoring devices comparable with best in the world are
urgently needed to ensure reliable and valid findings.
• Economic studies: Economic estimation studies for Climate and Health are critical for both
countries, especially for India in relation to Climate Change impacts and the costs of
adaptation. These studies ought to pave the way for evidence-based decision making in
relation to climate finance.
• Capacity Building: Academic exchange, training for upgradation of skills and curriculum
development at all levels including academia, research, policy planning and program
management.
• Community of Practice: The United States and India should fund a vibrant public-private
partnership such as the UCHAI initiative. This should connect all stakeholders by way of an
open invitation mechanism. Continuing expert dialogue series can be of use to both
countries.

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3.5 Tourism
Samir Sinha

Background

The urge to travel and to search for new experiences has one of the innate qualities of humans
across time. Today, tourism is indeed an important driver of economies across the globe. Travel
and Tourism generated US $7.6 trillion (10% of global GDP) and 277 million jobs (1 in 11 jobs)
for the global economy in 2014 ("Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015 India", 2017).

This is even truer for India, a country bestowed with unique cultural and natural wealth. The
‘Incredible India’ campaign truly aims to showcase this diversity ("Incredible India", 2017)

The direct contribution of the travel and tourism sector to India’s GDP is estimated to be 2.2%
amounting to 40.6 billion USD in 2014 ("Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015 India", 2017).
Foreign exchange Earnings (FEE) from such tourism and travel was 20236 Million USD in 2014.
("India Tourism Statistics 2014", 2015).

International Tourist Arrivals in India were 7.68 million in 2014, 0.68 % of the global total. This
was an increase of 10.2% from the previous year. The country was thus ranked 41st globally in
terms of tourist inflow ("India Tourism Statistics 2014", 2015).

Nature based tourism remains one of the major aspects of the tourism sector in India. Along
with the Taj Mahal, the tiger remains a powerful icon for India in the tourism segment. In
addition to historical and cultural heritage sites, visit to mountains, beaches, national parks,
sanctuaries, and other natural treasures is the highlight for many foreign guests in India. While
these natural tourist attractions remain one of the highlights of the tourism sector in India, the
climate change has the potential to expose this industry to severe risks.

Tourism between the U.S. and India

Traditionally, the USA remains the largest source of inbound foreign tourists into India.
1118983 tourists from the US visited India in 2014, which constituted 14.57 of all inbound
visitors to India ("India Tourism Statistics 2014", 2015).

Figure 1: Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India for 2014

(Source: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)

The number of Indian visitors in the USA was 962,000 in 2014, up by 12% from the previous
year ("2014 Market Profile: India", 2015).

21
Climate Change and Tourism

Safety and convenience are the two most important factors for the growth of travel and tourism
industry. Therefore, the future of this sector is extremely vulnerable to impacts of climate
change. While this relationship is not yet adequately addressed or even understood, its long-
term implications are serious. Climate change driven events such as change in rainfall patterns,
local weather conditions and episodic events such as floods, tsunamis and earthquakes
influence tourist psyche and could cause grave impacts on long-term visitor plans. Thus, events
like flash floods in Ladakh and Chennai are some examples of climate change induced episodes
that can and do influence tourist arrivals and consequently local economies in a substantial
manner ("Tourists trapped in Ladakh flash floods", 2017), (Thangavelu, 2017), (CSE, 2017).

Health concerns remain an important part of travel advisories issued by foreign consulates for
their national intending to travel to India ("India", 2017). Many of such health concerns have a
linkage to climate change.

Conclusion

For the travel and tourism industry, climate change is the elephant in the room, which can be
ignored only to its own peril. The industry must build in a greater understanding of climate
change related issues and address them, including an open communication with potential and
actual customers. The consequences can be swift and severe. Thus, effects of climate change
may bring about a change in flowering patterns in an area in the Himalayas globally
acknowledged for its floral diversity, thus severely impacting local communities dependent on
such visitor inflows. Thus, well-known tourism destinations may suddenly find themselves out
of favor as they lose their USP. Cherrapunjee, once known as the wettest place on Planet Earth,
which now faces dwindling rains, is a case in point.

The world’s oldest and largest democracies share deep bonds, which have grown stronger
through mutual travel by their citizens. Cooperation between the two nations to understand the
implications of climate change for the tourism industry can bring about collaborative efforts for
mitigation. This in turn will have a significant impact on both economies. It will also have an
umbrella effect on other aspects of life, which benefit from and are impacted by travel and
tourism. These experiences can also serve as lessons for other nations across the world.

22
3.6 Biodiversity
Vandana Tyagi, Debal Ray and Alexander O’Neill

Background

Global climate models indicate with high degree of confidence that the world will look very
different by the middle of this century (Sharmila, Joseph, Sahai, Abhilash & Chattopadhyay,
2015). Since the climatic boundaries define the limits of tolerance of species, it follows that the
biotic world will not be the same as we live in now. Natural selection will act on the existing
ecosystems, species and genetic variants and ensure survival of the biotic components fit for the
altered climatic conditions. A broad base of genetic diversity will ensure that some of the
variants will be adapted to the future climatic conditions.

The bigger the diversity, greater is the chance that some of its members will be adapted to the
future climate. Hence, conservation of biodiversity is a major component for adaptation.

Global climate change is now a major challenge for agricultural production systems. Loss due to
biotic and abiotic stress accounts for one- fourth of the value of agricultural produce. Immediate
attention is required to meet such challenges.

Genetic diversity is a critical asset to fight climate change. An individual genotype with
seemingly irrelevant set of characters today may suddenly become essential tomorrow due to
changing climatic conditions or outbreak of diseases. The huge collections in the gene bank
would be utilized for mining genes and alleles conferring special traits. These would be further
utilized in future crop improvement programs.

Table 6 Wildlife Without Borders

Wildlife Without Borders

This is the motto of a highly successful Indo-US collaboration project on conservation of wildlife. The
project resulted in long term collaboration among US Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), Bombay
Natural History Society (BNHS) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and focused on wildlife research
and management, habitat protection and conservation. The project conducted important studies and
took conservation initiatives on (1) impact of fragmentation on the biodiversity of Western Ghats, (2)
survey and conservation of Hoolock gibbon in North-East India, (3) habitat improvement for Indian
Rhinos in Kaziranga National Park, (4) ecology of shoal and alpine grasslands, (5) identification and
acquisition of elephant migration corridors, (6) monitoring nest sites of vultures in the Himalayan
foothills and (7) establishment of India’s first and only forensic wildlife laboratory in WII.

Indo-US Cooperation

Indo-US Sub-commission on Agriculture identified Plant Germplasm Resources conservation as

a high priority subject for collaboration with India. The US Agency for International
Development (USAID) and the Government of India (GOI) entered into an agreement to
strengthen National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) capabilities for management of
national plant genetic resources and increasing its role in regional and international activities.

A nine-year Indo-US Project on Plant Genetic Resources was signed in August, 1988. The project
was implemented by NBPGR under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry
of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW), with United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) as a major participating agency ("Ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources: global
development and environmental concerns", 1992).

23
Advanced training of Indian Scientists both in USA and India was an integral part of the project.
The project helped enhance NBPGR’s national capability and its role at the regional and
international levels.

Of the total accessions conserved worldwide in national gene banks and Consultative Group for
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Institutes 12.51% accessions are of Indian origin
and are accessible for utilization in crop improvement programs. One of the major institutes
that hold these Indian origin germplasm is United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural
Research Service (USDA-ARS) that holds 3.61% of Indian origin germplasm (Jacob, Tyagi,
Agrawal, Chakrabarty & Tyagi, 2015).

Outside the government-to-government engagements, collaborations at institution and

individual level exist. The Nilgiri Field Learning Center (NFLC) is one such example of
collaboration between the Cornell University of the U.S. and the Keystone Foundation of India
where undergraduate students of the Cornell University and Keystone Foundation study
biodiversity issues.

Conclusion

The United States and India are both megadiverse countries. Although there are seventeen such
megadiverse countries in the world, not all countries have economic means and technical
knowhow to give conservation the priority it deserves. It therefore falls upon India and the U.S.
and possibly a few other megadiverse countries to provide leadership on biodiversity
conservation.

24
3.7 Agriculture
Pramod Deshmukh and Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan

Background

Agriculture is the primary source of food and is also sensitive to climate change (Howden et al.
2007). Some of the agricultural activities such as cultivation of water intensive crops like rice,
unscientific irrigation, synthetic fertilizer use, livestock rearing, land use change leading to
deforestation, conversion of grasslands and waste disposal contribute significantly to the
increased atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

GHG emissions also occur due to storage, processing and transport of agricultural produce.
Based on the irradiative forcing of GHGs, the Annual GHG Index (AGGI) for 2015 was calculated
to be 1.37(Team, 2017).

Fortunately, agriculture provides opportunities to store up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
in crop plants and soil. Farmers need to adopt the best management practices to make
agriculture a net sink of GHGs and resilient to the future climate change.

Challenges

As an impact of climate change, there has been the frequent occurrence of unseasonal rains,
long dry spells, hailstorms and cloud bursts. The predominantly rain fed states like Maharashtra
in India has been experiencing a drought-like situation consecutively for the past 3 years ("India
drought: '330 million people affected' - BBC News", 2017). Climate change has affected
agricultural productivity and quality of food, water and air. It has changed the cropping pattern
and diet (Udmale, Ichikawa, Manandhar, Ishidaira & Kiem, 2014). There are frequent
epidemics, increase in diseases and pest attacks on crops that prompted increased use of
pesticides and other harmful crop protection measures that affect water and air quality, and
health of people ("Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts, and the Case for
Resilience", 2017).

Adaptation and Mitigation through agricultural practices

The global leaders have been successful in achieving a legally binding agreement on climate at
COP21, Paris. Agricultural sector provides opportunities for mitigation as well as adaptation in
the context of climate change.

The GHG emissions from agriculture are mainly due to three gases: carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The agriculture sector contributes significantly to GHG
mitigation by acting as GHG sink for 10% of emissions (Uprety, Dhar, Hongmin, Kimball, Garg &
Upadhyay, 2012). Agriculture creates a reduction in global GHG emissions by approximately
32%. This is achieved by absorbing CO2 emissions, 42% by carbon offsets through biofuel
production, 15% by reducing methane emissions and 10% from reducing emissions of N2O
(Uprety, Dhar, Hongmin, Kimball, Garg & Upadhyay, 2012).

25
There are seven broad mitigation measures that can contribute to mitigation of these gases
from the agriculture sector. These include, watershed development focusing on weather based
farming; livestock; manure/bio-solid management; bioenergy development; management of
grazing land /pasture improvement; management of organic soils and restoration of degraded
lands; and organic agriculture. These measures will contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse
gases by reducing emissions of CH4 and N20 from agriculture, enhance removal of atmospheric
greenhouse gases and avoid emissions of fossil fuels that serve as inputs for agriculture.

Mitigation could also be accomplished through intensification and extensification of agriculture.

Intensification may increase emission of GHGs per hectare due to high input of fertilizers,
extensive mechanized tilling of the soil, heavy use of pesticides, and use of inorganic fertilizers.
However, it could reduce total land requirement and total agricultural emissions, i.e., a reduced
carbon footprint per kg of product. Extensification creates a reduction in emission per hectare
due to less use of fertilizers, labor, capital and less mechanization but total land requirement
may increase slightly. The technologies that can help mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
and promote a sustainable agriculture must be encouraged.

Innovations are essential to solving the problems pertaining to soil, water, and energy demands
to support agriculture and biological diversity. More data and research on climate change
patterns as well as conservation of resources and biological diversity related to gene pools of
plants and animals are critical to finding adaptation solutions. These measures will promote
increased food production, prevention of harvest loss and positively contribute to global food
security.

Indo-US Cooperation

Food security is vital to the growth and stability of India and the U.S. Extreme climatic events
such as famines had led to the establishment of institutions for agricultural education and
research in India before independence (Borthakur & Singh, 2013). In the post-independence
period, the US Land Grant Colleges pattern was followed to establish agricultural universities in
several states (Sinha, 2000). Since then, both the government and private organizations of the
U.S. have extensively supported research, education and infrastructure development in
agriculture through aids, grants and fellowships.

The cooperative efforts between India and the U.S. have ensured exchanges of ideas, expertise,
methods and innovations for the improvements in conventional and modern agriculture. These
efforts are also critical to the successful collaboration, security interests and stability of both the
countries.

The projected future of climate necessitates a new coordinated effort on the collection of data
on weather, soil fertility status, water availability, crop performance, land and animal
management practices. This will lead to better understanding and solutions that will increase
sustainability, nutritional security and environmental quality. A lack of preparedness will
adversely affect the food systems, economies and stability of not only India and US but also
several other countries. Thus, the new paradigm changes in climate demand renewed efforts
among these countries in order to build capacities towards the management of risks, protection
of the environment, and ensuring global food security.

Conclusion

The climate is critical to the characteristics and distributions of agricultural systems in both
India and the U.S. The resources for high agricultural productivity such as fertile soils,
freshwater and high potentials crop and animals are already facing great challenges in both the
countries. Scarcities and inequities due to the continuing human population pressure are other
challenges of the agricultural system. The vulnerability of the food systems due to the climate
change is increasingly being realized in India and the U.S.

26
The scientific knowledge and understanding of the cause and effect of human activities related
to agriculture on climate change are fragmentary at present. As far as action in agriculture is
concerned, governmental policies play a major role in improving the ground level situations, as
the policies have to be implemented on a large scale across the country involving multiple
stakeholders. Both India and the U.S. should venture into planned cooperation to address this
issue with the help of intellectual and technological advantages available in both the countries.

In research and innovation efforts, the India and the U.S. need to move towards a level playing
field. Currently in the Global Innovation Index 2015, India ranks 81 while the U.S. is at 5 ("The
Global Innovation Index 2015", 2015). New innovations are urgently required to increase food
production that is projected to fall due to the warming climate. Paradoxically large populations
now live in the Indian and the U.S. cities. Hence, not only the cost of production but also the cost
of storage, processing and transport of food to these cities will further shoot the global
emissions of greenhouse gases.

Partnerships between India and US can give access to best practices and innovations that
enhance the productivity and climate resilience of the food systems. In addition, better data
collection and research related to climate change impacts on resource pools and biodiversity
will augur well for the stewardship of the planet.

27
3.8 Water
Tamara Marcus and Shailendra Mandal

Background

Access to water is critical to industrial, agricultural, and domestic sectors globally. With the
impending effects of climate change already affecting access to natural resources, water security
will become increasingly less stable in the future. Given that agriculture consumes 80 and 91
percent of water consumption in the U.S. and India, respectively, the focus should be towards
efficient and sustainable water use and management ("USDA ERS - Irrigation & Water Use",
2017).

In India, access to clean drinking water remains a challenge for 77 million urban residents. In
addition, in part due to poorly regulated or non-existent legislation on dumping of wastes, water
sourced from both the Mississippi and Ganga rivers exceed standard pollution levels and are
unsuitable for domestic and industrial consumption.

The lack of reliable, clean water could have implications for the security of each country’s water
supply, affecting economic growth and sustainability.

Indo-US Cooperation

From 2006 to 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with India in
conducting workshops and demonstrations as part of several initiatives taken to provide access
to clean drinking water in urban areas. One such initiative, the Composite Correction Program,
worked with water treatment plants to demonstrate the benefits of implementing a few low-
cost changes to extant treatment methods in order to increase efficiency and particle removal.
The U.S. has also pledged to assist Prime Minister Modi’s government in its attempt to clean up
the Ganga, primarily through scientific collaboration and sharing of technology. Increased
irrigation for intensive farming has resulted in falling underground water tables in both the
countries, resulting in construction of deeper bore wells. As electricity is subsidized for farmers
in many states of India, there is little incentive for farmers to adopt sustainable water practices.

Case studies

According to the case studies of U.S. water management practices, the examination of past and
future long-term climate variation, including those of climate models, have become increasingly
important for informing sustainable water planning in many U.S. cities (Wilder, Scott, Pineda-
Pablos, Varady & Garfin, 2017).

Similarly, in India, the experience of Gawadewadi, a village in Pune district of India, shows how
participatory soil and water conservation work helped improving water availability in the
village for drinking and agricultural purposes. This example has led to multiple other initiatives
such as cooperative dairy, gobar gas plants for the households, horticulture etc. in the village.
The village has successfully demonstrated how small scale ‘active solution’ of participatory soil
and water conservation works can become a successful alternative to large scale ‘passive
solution’ such as building dams. This success story of Gawadewadi assumes greater importance
in the context of climate change ("Gawadewadi: A success story of participatory small scale
water conservation", 2014).

Thus, one simple adaptation measure to improve resilience to climate change and stabilize
water security would be to encourage the sharing of climate information and data amongst the
water managers of both India and the U.S.

28
Current Status

In November 2015, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) opened its first
international office with the goal of increasing certification training for water operators. In
January 2015, President Obama and Prime Minister Modi signed a memorandum of
understanding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (UASAID) to work together
with India’s Ministry of Urban Development on sharing best practices and technological
innovations to better address issues of urban water quality and availability.

Conclusion

A number of opportunities exist for the U.S. and India to work together with a focus on
increasing efficiency in water resource usage and decreasing water pollution from different
sectors. Partnerships similar to the Composite Correction Program may be reinstated to
continue sharing of best practices to bring clean drinking water to all members of the
community.

Critical initiatives in this regard could include

1) Cooperation on specific quantitative goals for reducing pollution
2) Adjusting subsidies for ensuring judicious electricity and water use
3) Introducing appropriate legislative or regulatory measures to ensure safety of municipal
drinking water through drinking water standards

29
4. CONCLUSION
Prachi Garg
The impacts of climate change are a reality today. It is a critical issue that threatens the very
existence of the planet along with its natural and biological systems. Climate change is a global
issue and therefore there is a need for a joint action plan to address it. Global leaders have now
been successful in achieving a legally binding agreement on climate at the 21st Conference of
Parties (COP21) held in Paris. Collaborations towards adaptation and mitigation solutions need
to be truly international. Ultimately pooling of resources and networking will be highly
beneficial in the long run. The road from Paris is particularly challenging for India in
comparison to the United States. As an example, in the Global Innovation Index for 2015, India
ranks 81st while the US is at the 5th position. The current paper ‘Indo-US Cooperation in
Climate Change: The Road from Paris,’ a Working Paper and work in progress is an attempt by
GFF study group to consolidate the possibilities and priorities within various sectors relevant to
climate change.
Even though all countries enthusiastically committed for national contributions, the pathway
for implementation is not without its share of challenges.
Policies, needs, and the local context may vary between India and the United States in relation to
greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. However, there are many avenues for
future research and collaboration, for example in mitigation strategies, inventory and modelling
approaches and innovative data collection and use. Collaborations between universities, non-
profit organisations and civil society need to be developed for cross pollination of ideas and
knowledge.
Though Oil & Gas sector directly contributes to only 6% of global CO2 emissions; the use of oil
products for transportation, industry, power and the like accounts for ~50% of GHGs. With
India’s energy demand projected to be double by 2040, there is a renewed focus of energy
security and climate commitments. In this context, the Indo-US partnership must focus on
generating avenues for clean energy.
The travel and tourism industry also needs to take critical steps towards climate change. There
is a need to build a greater understanding of climate change related issues and address them,
including an open communication with potential and actual customers. This is especially
relevant since climate change will have an adverse impact on several favored tourism
destinations.
For afforestation too, there is an immense requirement of financial and technical resources.
Proactive steps like Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative California Cap and Trade Program,
Western Governors Association may be adapted to the Indian context. India has included future
trading in carbon in the Multi Commodity Exchange (MMX). This makes it Asia’s first commodity
exchange and among select few like European Climate Exchange to offer trade in carbon credits.
The United States and India both are megadiverse countries. Although there are seventeen such
megadiverse countries in the world, not all countries have economic means and technical know-
how to give conservation the priority it deserves. Therefore, if Indo-US cooperation and
collaborative ventures are well charted; India and the United States can provide leadership and
support to other megadiverse countries in conserving their biodiversity.

Agriculture as a sector is one of the biggest consumers of fresh water. There is a need to
mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agriculture sector and promote sustainable
agricultural development. The collaboration ought to focus on water-shed development with an
emphasis on weather based farming; management of livestock; manure/bio-solid management;
development of bioenergy; grazing land management as well as pasture improvement;
management of organic soils and restoration of degraded lands; and organic agriculture, which
encompasses the other six measures.

30
New innovations are urgently needed to boost global food production, projected to fall due to
the warming climate. Paradoxically large populations now live in Indian and United States cities.
Hence, not only the cost of production but also those related to storage, processing and
transport of food to these cities will increase. Along with these costs, their contributions to the
global emissions of greenhouse gases will also increase. At the same time innovations are
essential for solving these problems related to soil, water, energy demands and biological
diversity which can support agriculture. Partnerships between India and the United States can
give access to practices and innovations that enhance the productivity and resilience of the food
systems. In addition, it would enable better data collection and research.
Presently, a dire water crisis is being faced by many countries. Climate change will only make
the situation worse. The United States and India must come together to address the issues of
decreasing water supplies and increasing pollution. New technologies, rain water harvesting,
initiatives to improve underground water levels, behavioral change for water conservation,
regulatory frameworks for minimizing wastage and fast-tracking pollution control as well as
conservation of rivers are some of the key elements for collaboration in coming years.
The Road ahead must ensure that sustainability and health are placed at the center of the
international and bilateral policy debate in both countries since the impacts strike at the core of
human existence. In addition, there is a need to strengthen research collaboration between the
U.S. and India. The two countries need to undertake studies to understand the economic and
social implications of climate change. Also, capacity building and transfer of technology will
remain critical in Indo-US cooperation in the times ahead.
Today is a historic time for the relationship between the United States, the world’s oldest
democracy and India, the world’s largest democracy. How the two countries cooperate on the
pressing challenge of climate change will serve an indication of the strength of the bilateral
relationship. Moreover, it could also be the game changer which will help the planet avert a
tipping point of no return, hence an area which will be keenly followed by the larger community
of nations.

31
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Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. National Academies Press, Washington
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• U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India, (2017). Green Facility. United States Government.
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Indigenous Knowledge
• Berkes, F. (2012). Sacred ecology (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.
• Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to
the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core
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• Kotru, R., Choudhary, D., Fleiner, R., Khadka, M., Pradhan, N., & Dhakal, M. (2014).
Adapting to Climate Change for Sustainable Agribusiness in High Mountain Watersheds:
A Case Study from Nepal. (p. 1). Kathmandu: International Centre for Integrated
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Proceedings, Symposium and Workshop on Wilderness Fire. General Technical Report
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and Range Experiment Station. pp. 75-80.

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• Nakashima, D.J., Galloway McLean, K., Thulstrup, H.D., Ramos Castillo, A. and Rubis, J.T.
2012. Weathering Uncertainty: Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment
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Conservation Practices Guidebook. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved
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sustainable management in the 12th 5 Year Plan. Planning Commission of India.
Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/
committee/wrkgrp12/enf/wg_subntfp.pdf
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• Salick, J. & Byg, A. (2007). Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change. Oxford: Tyndall
Centre. Retrieved 27 February 2017 from http://tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/
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The Natural but Often Forgotten Partner. Washington DC: The World Bank. Retrieved
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• Udall, B. (2007). Recent Research on the Effects of Climate Change on the Colorado
River. Western Water Assessment, a joint project of University of Colorado and
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Climate Change inter alia of the Arctic, Small Island States and High Altitudes, with a
focus on causes and solutions. Convention on Biological Diversity. Montreal: UNEP.
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• UNFCCC, (2015). Adoption of the Paris Agreement. Paris: United Nations Framework
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 • Williams, G. (2010). References in the American Indian use of fire in ecosystems.
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Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_051334.pdf

MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

Transport
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New Delhi: Global Change Centre, National Physical Laboratory.

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Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Washington, DC: the
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Quality: Case Study of Delhi. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 132(6), 482-488.
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National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
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/s0967-070x(98)00030-4

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 • Ravindra, K., Wauters, E., Tyagi, S., Mor, S., & Van Grieken, R. (2006). Assessment of Air
Quality after the Implementation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as Fuel in Public
Transport in Delhi, India. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 115(1-3), 405-
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the transport sector: Delhi. Iranian Journal of Environmental Health Science and
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Trends of greenhouse gas emissions from the road transport sector in India. Science of
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09.027
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Forestry
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27 February 2017, from http://www.wri.org/blog/2010/12/redd-decision-cancun
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Deforestation in Developing Countries. Government of India. Retrieved 27 February
2017, from http://unfccc.int/files/land_use_and_climate_change/lulucf/application/
pdf/india_1.pdf
• Mahesh K. Malav, Sandeep Kumar, Lalchand Malav, Sushil Kharia, Carbon Trading: The
Future Money Venture of India, Biotech Articles. Retrieved 27 February 2017,
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INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf

• Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) – Mid Career Training Programs,
Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www.ignfa.gov.in/MCT/AboutMCT/tabid/271
/language/en-US/Default.aspx

• O'Sullivan, R., Moore, C., Wolosin, M., & Lee, D. (2012). Should REDD+ be Included in the
CDM? Analysis of issues and options. Climate Focus & Climate Advisers. Retrieved 27
February 2017, from http://www.cdmpolicydialogue.org/research/1030_Redd.pdf
Climate Focus and Climate Advisors
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Stimulate Action Eleventh Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC: Agenda Item # 6.
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 • UNFCCC, (2015). Adoption of the Paris Agreement. Paris: United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from https://unfccc.int/
resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf
• USAID, (2014). Partnership for Land Use Science (Forest - PLUS), Annual Report October
1 2013-September 30, 2014. USAID. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
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02013-14.pdf
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Energy and Industry

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116012100361_1.html
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Iea.org. Retrieved 28 February 2017, from https://www.iea.org/publications/free
publications/publication/weo-2015-special-report-2015-energy-and-climate-
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Upstream & Downstream Best Practices and Opportunities’ held on October 29 - 30, 2015
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pradhan/article8050506.ece

Health
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• City resilience toolkit: response to deadly heat waves and preparing for rising
temperatures. (2016). Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
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• Climate Change and Disease Dynamics in India by Nitish Dogra and Sangeet Srivastava.
(2012). Bookstore.teri.res.in. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
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2017, from http://www.moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/fin-rpt-incca.pdf

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• Constantin de Magny, G., Murtugudde, R., Sapiano, M., Nizam, A., Brown, C., & Busalacchi,
A. et al. (2008). Environmental signatures associated with cholera epidemics.

• EIS Advertisement. (2014). NCDC. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www.ncdc

.gov.in/writereaddata/linkimages/EIS_Advertisement-final887566850.pdf
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climate change and health. (2017). Niehs.nih.gov. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2015/11/spotlight-india/
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India: Future Research Directions. (2017). Ehp.niehs.nih.gov. Retrieved 27 February
2017, from http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1003000/
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Unisdr.org. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/
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February 2017, from http://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/
• Guidelines for International Collaboration/ Research Projects in Health Research.
(2016). ICMR. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://icmr.nic.in/guide.htm
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news_letters_april_09.pdf
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(2014). UNFCC. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www4.unfccc.int/
submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/
INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf

• Laneri, K., Bhadra, A., Ionides, E., Bouma, M., Dhiman, R., Yadav, R., & Pascual, M. (2017).
Forcing Versus Feedback: Epidemic Malaria and Monsoon Rains in Northwest India.
Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000898
• Modeling and Forecasting Malaria in Tripura, INDIA using NOAA/AVHRR-Based
Vegetation Health Indices: Mohammad Nizamuddin, Felix Kogan, Ramesh Dhiman, Wei
Guo, Leonid Roytman: Free Download & Streaming: Internet Archive. (2013). Internet
Archive. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from https://archive.org/details/IJRSA10128
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Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST
• Smith, K.R., A. Woodward, D. Campbell-Lendrum, D.D. Chadee, Y. Honda, Q. Liu, J.M.
Olwoch, B. Revich, and R. Sauerborn, 2014: Human health: impacts, adaptation, and co-
benefits. In: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global
and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken,
K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova,
B. Girma, E.S. Kissel,A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.)].
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp.
709-754.

38
 • Sundarbans Health Watch - Series 1: How healthy are the children of the Sundarbans.
(2017). Future Health Systems. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www.future
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Tourism
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from http://travel.trade.gov/outreachpages/download_data_table/2014_India_Market_
Profile.pdf

• CSE, C. (2017). Chennai Floods Due to Impact of Climate Change: CSE. The New Indian
Express. Retrieved 27 February 2017, from http://www.newindianexpress.com/
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Statics%20ENGLISH%202014_compressed.pdf
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February 2017, from https://www.wttc.org/media/files/reports/economic%20
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from http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/bitstream/1/2035786/1/20.pdf
• Jacob, S., Tyagi, V., Agrawal, A., Chakrabarty, S., & Tyagi, R. (2015). Indian Plant
Germplasm on the Global Platter: An Analysis. PLOS ONE, 10(5), e0126634.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0126634

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 • Sharmila, S., Joseph, S., Sahai, A., Abhilash, S., & Chattopadhyay, R. (2015). Future
projection of Indian summer monsoon variability under climate change scenario: An
assessment from CMIP5 climate models. Global and Planetary Change, 124, 62-78.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2014.11.004

Agriculture
• Borthakur, A. & Singh, P. (2013). History of Agricultural Research in India. Current
Science, 105(5), 587-593.
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Effective Innovation Policies for Development, Fontainebleau, Ithaca, and Geneva.
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Water
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México.) Tucson: Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, The University of Arizona.

40
 BIO-SKETCHES OF GFF STUDY GROUP (by alphabetical order of last name)

BHARGAVA, Alka
Alka Bhargava served as a Hubert H. Humphrey
Fellow for 2013-14 at the Michigan State University
(MSU) with a period of professional affiliation with the
World Bank. She is a senior officer with the Indian
Forest Service from the Assam Meghalaya cadre. She
has served as a forest manager, administrator and
researcher both with the Government of Assam and
Government of India for over 29 years. Having worked
closely with the forest dwellers while establishing
joint forest management in 2002-04 in Assam,
community development has become a passion for
her. Alka has been involved in skill development
under the National Skills Qualifications Framework
(NSQF) and as a major stakeholder in Reduction of
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
(REDD+) amongst other assignments.

email: alka_b87@yahoo.com

DATTA, Kunal
Kunal Datta is a Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholar for 2015-16.
Kunal graduated from Stanford University in Civil and
Environmental Engineering with a focus on alternative energy
technologies. Following this, he built a prepaid card product
targeted at Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region, to provide cash based users’ access to paid
online content. He is currently implementing and researching
mobile connected solar nano grids with a focus on payment
collection from rural areas using existing infrastructure and
technologies. In his free time, Kunal is a multi-instrumentalist,
singer-songwriter and recording artist.

email: kunald@alumni.stanford.edu

DESHMUKH, Pramod
Pramod Deshmukh is Chairperson of the Sanskriti
Samvardhan Mandal (SSM) in Sagroli, District Nanded in
Maharashtra. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to
study Climate change and its impact on Agriculture at
Purdue University, USA in 2010. He has more than 20
years of experience in the field rural development. He is
responsible for planning and implementation of
watershed development projects, community health,
social housing and women’s empowerment program.
Considering SSM’s commitment towards education and
agriculture, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research,
New Delhi has awarded Krishi Vigyan Kendra for the
farming community of Nanded district in 2012.

email: deshpramod@gmail.com

41
 DOGRA, Nitish
Nitish Dogra is Convenor of the Green Fulbrighters Forum. He
received a Fulbright-Nehru Environmental Leadership
Program Fellowship for 2013-14 and was a Visiting Faculty at
the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Johns
Hopkins University (JHU), United States. Nitish is a physician,
physiologist and public health specialist by training with a
Master of Public Health degree from JHU. He was a temporary
adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO) for South-
East Asia regional health sector strategy meeting in relation to
the Paris Negotiations and has also represented India at WHO.
Nitish was a contributor to the Inter Academy Council (IAC)
Review of the IPCC. He also convened the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), United States Understanding Climate and Health
Associations in India (UCHAI) training workshop in 2015. In
addition, he brought out the edited volume Climate Change
and Disease Dynamics in India.

email: ndogra@jhu.edu

GARG, Prachi
Prachi Garg is currently working as a Public Health Manager
in Government Advisory Services for Ernst and Young based
out of India’s capital New Delhi. She has served as a Hubert H.
Humphrey Fellow under the Fulbright Program from 2013-
14. During her Fellowship, she studied Public Health Policy
and Management at Emory University, Atlanta, USA. She has
over 13 years of experience in the area of Public Health,
Policy, Social & Behaviour Change Communication and
Research. This includes stints at the Johns Hopkins School of
Public Health Center for Communication Programs, National
AIDS Control Organization and the BBC.

email: Prachigarg79@gmail.com

JAIN, Preeti
Preeti Jain is Joint Director (Economic Policy & Planning) with
Petroleum Federation of India. She has 15 years of research,
international advisory and policy experience primarily related to
oil & gas, policies & regulations and air quality management.
Currently, she supports policy formulation and programs for
global competitiveness of Indian Oil & Gas industry. In the past in
advisory role with HART Energy, Singapore, Dr. Jain was a main
contributing author for ‘Global Crude, Refining & Clean
Transportation Fuels Outlook 2035’ and also to various
consulting reports on refining, biofuels, clean fuels and so on. A
scientist by training, she has assisted in various assignments
including Auto Fuel Policy, Biofuels Emission Performance
Studies, and Source Apportionment.

email: jainp11@gmail.com

42
 KHANDEKAR, Prachi
Prachi is pursuing her PhD. in Historical Linguistics
trying to trace a missing stage in the evolution of
Marathi language. She has an avid interest in
learning languages and finding about different
cultures. She is a trained foreign language teacher
and has a variety of experience teaching Hindi,
English and Spanish as foreign languages to
speakers of other languages. She believes that
education and especially language education is
extremely essential for development of young
minds. In this day and age of information and
communication, it is imperative that one must be
able to articulate their thoughts and present their
knowledge in a concise manner. She loves teaching
languages and hopes to become a professor soon.

email: khandekar.prachi@gmail.com

KHOSLA, Meetu
Meetu Khosla is Associate Professor in Daulat Ram College,
University of Delhi. She served as Fulbright-Nehru Visiting
Lecturer Fellowship to St. Olaf College, Minnesota (MN) in
2013-2014. She has 21 years of teaching and research
experience. Her research interests include cognitive neuro-
science, health psychology, Indian psychology, cross-
cultural psychology, emotional expressions, positive
psychology, wellbeing, counselling, quality of life and
clinical psychology. She has received various fellowships
such as ICSSR for France; Shastri-Indo Canadian Fellowship
and Erasmus Mundus Fellowship to Poland. She has a blog
on health and wellbeing. Presently she is the head of the
psychology department and has been involved in an NGO
‘’ehsaas’’ for child and adolescent health and wellbeing.

email: meetukhoslaphd@gmail.com

LAKSHMANAN, Pushpakumar
Dr Lakshmanan is an Associate Professor in the
School of Ecology and Environment Studies at
Nalanda University, Bihar. He teaches
Environmental Law and Policy. He received his LL.B.
and LL.M. from Pondicherry University and Ph.D.
from University of Delhi, India. As a Fulbright
scholar, he pursued Post-Doctoral research at
Harvard Law School, Berkman Centre for Internet
and Society, Harvard University, USA. Dr.
Lakshmanan is a multidisciplinary scholar who
specializes in international environmental law with
special focus on climate change, the convention on
biological diversity, global environmental
governance and sustainable development.

email: PushpakumarL@gmail.com

43
 MANDAL, Shailendra
Shailendra Mandal is a registered architect and city
planner who is also an Assistant Professor and
Researcher at National Institute of Technology (NIT)
Patna, India. His professional and academic works
focus examines the linkage between water
sustainability, city adaptation, urban resilience,
sustainable development and the role of the local
community to address it. He received a Fulbright
Fellowship to work on ‘Sustainable Local Urban
Planning’ at University of Arizona, Tucson, US. He is
also an Honorable Chairman of ‘Bihar Regional
Chapter of Institute of Town Planners, India’. His
areas of interests include Climate Change Adaptation,
Climate Resilient City, Urban Studies, Water
Sustainability, Participatory Planning, community
adaptation and Sustainable Development.

email: shailendra@fulbrightmail.org

MARCUS, Tamara
Tamara Marcus is a graduate student at the University of New
Hampshire pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Earth Sciences. She
focuses on water quality and climate change and has done
research in India, Nepal, Taiwan, and The Bahamas through
grants from the National Science Foundation, Rotary
International, and Fulbright. After completion of her degree
she plans to work in the field of international environmental
policy, specializing in Indo-US climate relations.

email: marcu070@umn.edu

MEHNDIRATTA, Abha
Abha Mehndiratta received a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s
Fellowship for 2013-14 and completed her degree in
Public Health from the Harvard School of Public
Health, United States. She is currently working as a
consultant for the World Bank, the Institute for
Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and NICE International
on various projects related to improving quality of
healthcare in India.

email: abha@mail.harvard.edu

44
 NIDHI, Nidhi
Nidhi is a Doctoral Research Scholar at School of
Computer and Systems Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU), New Delhi. She has specialized in
the area of Vehicular Adhoc Networks for Intelligent
Transportation System. She has recently been
awarded with a Project/Research Assistantship,
under Department of Science and Technology,
India. She was also awarded with Fulbright
Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowship
(2013-14) to conduct her exchange research at
Carnegie Mellon University. Her area of interest
includes Virtual Traffic Light, Ad-hoc Networks and
Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks.

email: nnidhi.jnu@gmail.com

O’NEILL Alexander
Alexander O'Neill graduated Magna cum Laude from
Georgetown University (COL '15) where he earned dual degrees
in Environmental Biology and Anthropology. He is currently on a
Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholarship in Sikkim, India where he
is studying biocidal diversity around high altitude wetlands.

email: environeill@gmail.com

RAGHAVA, Ajay
Ajay Raghava is Deputy Director in the Climate
Change Division of Ministry of Environment, Forest
& Climate Change, (MoEFCC), Government of India.
His current responsibilities include black carbon
and long term ecological observatories, National
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventories, National
Communications and IPCC. He was involved in
National Ganga River Basin Authority’s programme
implementation. Previously he served at Central
Pollution Control Board and working on
environmental planning, industrial pollution control
and environment management. Ajay has degrees in
Civil Engineering, Environmental Planning and
Energy & Environment Management. He was a
Hubert Humphrey Fellow for 2012-13 at Cornell
University, British Chevening Scholar for
Environment Management in 1999 at University of
Bradford, UK and a Fulbright Fellow for
Environmental Policy & Law in 2003 at US
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC.

email: ajayrv@yahoo.com

45
 RAMAKRISHNAN, Balsubramanian
Balasubramanian is a Principal Scientist at the
Indian Agricultural Research Institute. He served
as a Fulbright Indo-American Leadership Program
Fellow at the University of Massachusetts in 2007.
He is actively involved in research on anoxic
microbial processes. He provided the first evidence
on the global distribution of methanogenic archaeal
communities including the members of unculturable
archaeal members in rice soils of different
geographical origin. These methanogenic archaea
are the major producers of methane, an important
greenhouse gas from rice. He was awarded with the
BOYSCAST fellowship of Department of Science and
Technology (India) at Max-Planck Institute of
Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany, and
the Endeavour Research Fellowship at the Centre
for Environmental Risk Assessment and
Remediation, Adelaide, Australia. His current
research interests include nitrogen cycle of archaea
and anammox bacteria, iron and manganese cycling,
and the anaerobic processes involved in
remediating toxic metals and organic contaminants.

email: ramakrishnanbala@gmail.com

RAY, Debal
Debal Ray is a member of Indian Forest Service. He has served
in various capacities in the field of natural resource
management, Watershed Management, Pollution Control,
Biodiversity Management, Coastal Zone Management etc.
Presently, he is posted as Chief Conservator of Forests in the
city of Kolkata. His interests include Climate Change,
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

email: raydebal@gmail.com

SINHA, Samir
Samir Sinha is a member of the Indian Forest Service,
presently serving as Chief Conservator of Forests &
Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand India.
He holds a P.G. Diploma (Honours) in Wildlife
Management from the Wildlife Institute of India
(WII), Dehradun and is a Member, World
Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), and
International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN). He has over 20 years of field experience in
wildlife conservation, including a stint as Head of
TRAFFIC, India. He has authored several articles and
a book on wildlife law enforcement.

email: samirsinha100@gmail.com
46
 SHUKLA, Anuradha
Dr Anuradha Shukla is Chief Scientist and Advisor
(R&D) at the Central Road Research Institute, New
Delhi. She is a Fulbright-Nehru Environmental
Leadership Programme Fellow for 2009-10. She has
also been awarded a fellowship to University of
Birmingham, UK in 2014 and was deputed to Hungary
under International Scientist Exchange Programme.
Anuradha has more than 30 years of professional
experience with specific expertise in the area of
environmental pollution due to roads and
transportation. She is Chairperson of BIS Committee
on Solid Waste Management and Member of Expert
Appraisal Committee for Projects related to
Infrastructure Development, Coastal Regulation Zone,
and Building/Construction amongst others. She has
published more than 100 papers in journals and
conferences.

email: anuradha.crri@gmail.com

TYAGI, Vandana
Vandana Tyagi is Principal Scientist at the National Bureau of
Plant Genetic Resources, Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR). She was a Hubert H Humphrey Fellow at
Cornell University from 2007-2008. She has over 19 years of
experience in Plant Genetic Resources Policy. Vandana
facilitated introduction of trait specific germplasm and related
information for utilization in crop improvement programs of
Indian plant breeders and researchers for changing climatic
regime. She has analysed new regulatory scenarios that
emerged after enactment of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture. She has also given inputs to ICAR and the
MoEFCC on definitions and terms used in International Access
and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regime.

email: vtyagi_3@rediffmail.com

VAREICHUNG, Shimray
Shimray Vareichung is an Assistant Professor at the
National Council of Educational Research and Training
and served as a Fulbright-Nehru Environmental
Leadership Program Fellow at the University of Florida
from 2009-2010. Her work profile includes development
of curriculum and curricular materials, conducting
research and training in the field of Biology and
Environmental Education. She also has specific
responsibility for environmental education in schools in
India. Her latest contribution is in the form of a book for
student teachers and teacher educators titled, “Teaching
Environmental Education: Trends and Practices in India”.
This is one of the few books available in this field of
education.

email: cshimray@gmail.com

47
 Green Fulbrighters Forum, India
E: greenfulbrighters.in@gmail.com
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