Three New Tools to Aid Indian Companies Advance Climate Action

India Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Program launched a series of three new, India specific tools and methodologies for companies to effectively measure, manage and mitigate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the India Business and Climate Summit 2015.

Air, Rail and Road Emission Factors along with the methodology to compute transport related emissions effectively

Power Tool along with the guidance document, to address and compare efficiencies across different power plants

Aviation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction: Best Practices & Perspectives - Beta release

Currently, Indian companies rely upon international tools and methodologies to calculate emissions. The emission factors developed by the India GHG Program using a wide stakeholder approach offer India specific methodologies for companies to calculate emissions from the power and transport sectors.

There is a need to come up with a globally binding agreement on climate change; and we must have a strong domestic strategy to do so. Any business plan needs to be ecologically sound and this workshop is a right step in the right direction. I'm sure such bottoms up approach that Indian business is adopting will provide good inputs for India's negotiating position for Paris. said Suresh Prabhu, Honourable Minister of Railways for the Government of India. Focusing on the environment doesn't mean we forget the economy. This can happen simultaneously. This is what the India GHG Program will facilitate. He further added, Railways are the largest single user of energy today and slated to become the biggest producer of solar in the country.'' This explains the large potential of energy conservation, energy efficiency, and switch to renewables, all combined, as the best route to expansion and development.

The time is ripe for business leaders to drive low carbon growth by scaling energy efficient and sustainable business practices, urging more Indian companies to sign up to the India GHG Program. Approximately 42 percent of India's greenhouse gas emissions come from energy generation and about 76 percent of that energy is consumed by industrial and commercial users said Dr. Naushad Forbes, President CII Designate & Director, Forbes Marshall. Accurate measurement is the first step to mitigation. As the old adage goes, you cannot manage that which you do not measure.

The power and transport sectors in India contribute significantly to India's emissions. The tools launched today by the India GHG Program will ensure consistent and accountable measurement of emissions, which will further help companies to not only improve their bottom line but also engage responsibly to mitigate climate risk, said Jamshyd Godrej, a leading India industrialist and Chairperson of WRI India.

"Road transport has emerged as the dominant segment in India's transportation sector contributing to a 5.4 percent share in India's GDP. It also utilizes 78 percent of the energy share for transport, when compared to rail and air that account for 11 percent of the energy share respectively. A changing climate is an imminent business risk, said K N Rao, Director Energy and Environment, ACC Limited. Businesses must take it upon themselves to factor climate risk into business decisions and policy positions.

The Summit also launched a report to to lay the roadmap for the aviation sector to transition to a lowcarbon business model. By 2020, India's airports would be handling 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers with projected investment to the tune of USD 120 billion. The report gives actionable data to provide further insight into economic costs and benefits of climate action.

Aviation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction: Best Practices & Perspectives is the product of a successful collaboration between Delhi International Airport (P) Limited, Airlines, Air Traffic Management of Airports Authority of India, Palam with the India GHG Program partners. Each stakeholder has provided valuable inputs to prepare an effective framework for interested parties in the Aviation Sector to measure and mitigate their Carbon Emissions, said Marcel Hungerbuehler, Chief Operating Officer, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited. The report also provides an account of current best practices and recommendations for improving overall GHG performance of the sector.

The India GHG Program also introduced its new member companies - UltraTech Cement, Arvind Limited, Oil India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Secure Meters Private Limited, Vedanta Limited, Chemfab Alkalis Limited, Grasim Industries Limited and CESC Limited making it a conglomerate of 42 companies staking out a leadership position on climate action.

With collaborative, multi-stakeholder partnerships initiated by the India GHG Program, Indian businesses have an unprecedented opportunity to drive investment in low-carbon growth and development.

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