India to host clean - and green - technologies bazaar

Thursday, 30 October 2003, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
NEW DELHI: India is getting ready to showcase clean technologies and services for industries to achieve greenhouse gas reduction at a Climate Technology Bazaar here next month. India is hosting the bazaar from November 10 to 13. Several developed nations will showcase state-of-the art technologies in various fields, including energy from waste, resource conservation and energy efficiency. Over 5,000 key visitors, including global experts, are expected to visit. Climate change is considered one of the most serious threats to the world's environment with a profound impact on global ecology, food security and health of vulnerable communities. Global efforts to bring Kyoto Protocol into operation with its commitment on developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emission still remain unrealised. While Russia is still to ratify it, some major polluters like the U.S. have decided against joining the fold. India demonstrated its commitment to addressing climate change by acceding to the Kyoto Protocol to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in August 2002, and hosting the Conference of Parties (COP-8) meet in October-November 2002. Minister for Environment and Forests T.R. Baalu is the president of COP. Next month's bazaar is being jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the ministry of environment and forests. The effort has the support of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). "The event will be an excellent opportunity for businesses from developed economies to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction by showcasing appropriate technologies and services for companies in India," an environment ministry official told IANS. The ministry will organise conferences on subjects related to Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), technology transfer and adaptation on the sidelines of the exhibition. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNFCCC would also organise conferences on adaptation of clean technologies. With a projected GDP growth rate of over 6.5 percent, India offers a vast, untapped market for greenhouse gas mitigation projects and climate-friendly technologies to achieve its goal of sustainable development, said an official. Already it has received about half a dozen clean technology projects from developed countries in Europe for carbon trading.
Source: IANS