Experts from India, US discuss climate challenge and opportunities

The workshop is part of a series of discussions being organised jointly by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of energy (DoE), USA, from 21 January 2022.

Addressing the opening session of the workshop, S Chandrasekhar, secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said India, despite being one of the fastest growing economy in the world, has made remarkable progress in meeting climate goals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought forth India’s efforts at achieving climate goals at the recently concluded COP-26 at Glasgow, he added.

“The PM has given a mandate for all of us to become a net-zero emissions nation by the year 2070,” Chandrasekhar remarked.

“Under a strict climatic regime, we can realise the identification and adoption of a right balance of portfolio of emission curtailment technologies. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is among one such key pathways to reduce emissions while continuing to develop sustainably at an unprecedented pace. CCUS clearly aligns with five of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely, climate action, clean energy, industry, innovation, infrastructure, responsible consumption and production, and partnerships to achieve the goals,” he said at the first workshop on the thematics of Carbon Capture.

Chandrasekhar briefed about the recent initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology towards technology-led RD&D in the area of CCUS. He informed that DST India became part of the transnational multilateral platforms such as Mission Innovation and Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT) along with other member countries, including USA for collaborative RD&D in the area of CCUS. 

The Indo-US Scoping Workshops on Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage, being organised from 21 January 2022 to 25 February 2022, will explore the complementary strengths and gaps in the area of CCUS between the two countries and evolve collaborative technology-led endeavours for working together towards achieving Net Zero Carbon goals.

Jennifer Wilcox, acting assistant secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) of the US Department of Energy (USDOE), said that India is a valuable partner in developing new technologies to help in combating climate and clean energy goals. This partnership was underscored when last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new "India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership,” which envisages bilateral cooperation on strong actions in the current decade to meet the goals. 

Wilcox gave an overview of the US initiatives regarding clean energy and said it is a global crisis and requires a global response in clean energy technologies and an international partnership to achieve carbon net-zero status. She hoped that this workshop would provide an opportunity to broaden and deepen collaborations and engagements.

The participants comprise of academicians, researchers, experts, industry, and policymakers from domains of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage, Climate Change, and Environmental Engineering,  Experts from both the countries delivered their technical insights and views for broad discussion within the contours of the proposed thematics of Carbon Capture, around complementary strengths and gaps to evolve future collaborative endeavours between India and USA to collectively work towards achieving carbon Net Zero status.