Partnerships for a Resilient Planet

February 15, 2018/ Anjali Jaiswal / Air Quality, Asia, Climate, Conservation, Europe, Natural Resources Defense Fund, Resources

Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund

Emphasizing that global warming is one of the “greatest threats to human survival,” India is moving forward with action on climate change – including the 2018 milestone of achieving 20 gigawatts of installed solar energy. Leaders around the world, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, encourage stronger global “solidarity” and partnerships to tackle climate change. After all, we are all in this together: global problems call for global solutions.

To advance partnerships on climate change, leaders from around the world are gathering at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) this week in New Delhi. Inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India and hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), WSDS is a flagship event focused on developing countries. The theme of this annual gathering is “Partnerships for a Resilient Planet”.

TERI

While several climate-related summits are held every year, WSDS is unique. It is one of the few events that aims to spur action in developing countries. The spotlight on developing countries is critical. They are the most vulnerable to climate change and face severe environmental challenges. Air pollution, in particular, is a grave threat and urgency for resilient communities. For example, India accounted for 2.5 million premature pollution-related deaths in 2015, of which 1.09 million were due to outdoor air pollution, according to the landmark Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health report in 2017. China accounted for 1.8 million deaths. Developing countries, such as India, are doing several hard things at once – struggling to power economies, lift communities out of poverty and build a clean energy future.

To advance global solutions focused on developing economies, NRDC is honored to partner with TERI at this year’s summit to accelerate action towards sustainable development and combat climate change. Frances Beinecke, NRDC Action Fund Trustee and the Immediate Past President of NRDC has been invited to be on the WSDS Steering Committee, and several NRDC experts have been invited to present at key sessions:

Plenary – “Breathing Clean Air: Institutional Frameworks” featuring the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, with Frances Beinecke, global environmental leader
“Innovative Financial Mechanisms: Raising the Trillions for Low Carbon Investments and Climate Resilience” chaired by Dipak Dasgupta with Douglass Sims, NRDC clean energy finance expert
“Affordable and Efficient Cooling: Maximizing Climate Benefits with Refrigerant Change” chaired by Dr. Ajay Mathur with highlights from NRDC cooling experts, Bhaskar Deol and Amartya Awasthi
“Cities and Heat Stress” with Anjali Jaiswal, NRDC India program director

Partnerships to create and implement programs to build a resilient planet are vital to transforming to clean energy economies around the world. NRDC looks forward to WSDS and working with partners around the world with our deep and broad approach toward climate change that is geared to delivering maximum benefits, on a large scale, to all communities.