Karnataka becomes first state to have green growth strategy

Study identifies financial resources and suggests investment opportunities for govt, pvt sector to encourage and enable development of sustainable practice

State became the first to get a green growth strategy which details what can be done in adapting to the climate change and how the state can play its part in reducing carbon emissions.

A consortium of institutions led by the Bangalore Climate Change Initiative – Karnataka (BCCI-K) in partnership with Seoul-based Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) has conducted the study.

The Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru, London School of Economics(LSE), Integrated Natural Resources Management Consultants, New Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi have contributed to conduct the study for about two years.

“This is a first comprehensive effort at developing a state-level green growth strategy in India, using sophisticated analytical tools and models. It presents a sectoral analysis of challenges and solutions for energy, agriculture, forestry and water sectors,” Prasoon Agarwal, senior policy advisor, India Country Program, GGGI told Business Standard.

The report, based on a nearly two years of research in Karnataka, identifies financial resources and suggests investment opportunities for the government, private sector and multilateral banks to encourage and enable the development of sustainable practices across sectors.

The strategy was born out of recognition of the need for policies and measures to combat growing environmental concerns while maintaining, if not accelerating, the pace of social progress and economic growth. The Green Growth Strategy aims at meeting both the short-term and long-term objectives of economic growth and environmental sustainability, he said.

“As a progressive state, Karnataka envisions job-oriented, inclusive economic growth through sustainable industrialization and livelihood diversification. Such transitions are likely to increase the demand for resources significantly and the achievement of this vision may be threatened by limits on resources such as fossil fuels, land and water, while also adversely impacting quality of life from air pollution and climate change,” Agarwal said.

He said while the energy demand is estimated to go up three times the current rate of consumption by 2030, temperatures due to climate change are projected to rise between 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius in the same time-frame. As might be imagined, this will have profound effects on agriculture, water and forestry and is likely to hit the economically weaker sections of society hardest, he stated.

The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah, who released the report, here today, said: “The government is taking conscious steps to ensure that growth is socially inclusive, and does not come at the cost of environment. The state government will examine the report and seriously consider the policy recommendations for implementation.”

The report has highlighted that major contributors to carbon emissions in Bengaluru has been the transport sector and to mitigate its impact, it has recommended for improving accessibility to mass transit (bus / metro / rail) through footpaths, pedestrian crossings, feeder services, intermediate public transport, signages and park and ride facilities.

“Climate change is an emerging environmental and developmental challenge facing humanity today and Karnataka is likely to be more vulnerable to climate change than other states. Karnataka’s agriculture is rain-fed to a large extent; 68 per cent of its farmland is without irrigation, droughts are frequent, a large share of electricity is generated by hydropower, some regions face severe and perennial water shortage, and so on,” Agarwal added.