What in your view defines effective partnership in the context of sustainable development and climate solutions?

Sustainable development and climate mitigation are not a cakewalk. It is a journey that needs to be covered together, ensuring no one is left behind! In these unprecedented times, when everyone is talking about scaling up climate solutions, multi-stakeholder collaboration is a pre-requisite if we want to achieve our national and international goals limiting global warming. In the current climate discourse and conformity to the global SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), it is evident that both top-down and bottom-up approaches are necessary to accelerate climate action at all levels, viz., government, private and public sector, and civil society.

By leveraging the strengths of every stakeholder group, we must explore and share our knowledge, expertise, experiences, innovations and technologies that are directed towards mitigating climate impacts and building a sustainable future. To expedite this, strengthening multilateralism and cooperation between the Global North and the Global South plays a crucial role. Identifying the capacities, gaps and disparities at all levels, various domains must be prioritized to build inclusive and equitable engagement processes. The Agenda 2030 presents an opportunity to address the shortcomings whilst bridging the global North-South divide, thereby, promoting a more balanced approach to implementing global SDGs and climate action. 

How do you envision integrating climate solutions and sustainability across policies, industries and sectors?

Climate solutions are an amalgamation of roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder involved in the process. For instance, aligning with global and national commitments, the Government of India launched various policies and programmes such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, Rooftop Solarization Programme, adoption of green buildings, sustainable transportation, etc., that will be propelled by industry response and end-user adoption.

For making the policies conducive, industries play a significant role by bringing the market shift, thereby enhancing the ‘adapt and adopt’ patterns at the end-user level.

For instance, to tackle the menace of air pollution, the Government of India introduced the Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Standards for all motor vehicles to regulate vehicular emission standards. After implementing the BS I to BS IV norms, the Government of India implemented the BS VI norms in 2020 skipping the intermediate policy. This has pushed the automobile industry to optimize vehicle designs, invest in research and development for identifying appropriate technologies and reduce costs while ensuring a sustainable supply chain infrastructure and an enhanced uptake by consumers. This exemplifies how policies, industries and end-users together have a crucial role in ensuring implementation and acceleration of climate actions. 

What means of implementation and enabling environment are needed to encourage partnerships involving different stakeholders?

Nations worldwide are developing national policies and programmes that are in tandem with the shared global sustainability and climate mitigation targets. For instance, India is a signatory to major global environmental conventions and treaties including the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Aligning with the global framework, the Government of India launched the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) to improve energy efficiency, reduce direct and indirect emissions, enhance refrigerant transitions, and promote energy-efficient technologies. In this case, the industry’s response to this initiative will drive market changes through cost-effective and sustainable solutions. Further, the success of this programme relies on spreading awareness and incentivizing adoption via labelling programmes.

Similarly, the misconception that green buildings are expensive is a myth. There is a need to demystify this thought by raising awareness and changing the mindset to make the right choices at the right time.  Incorporating green building features early in the design phase can effectively manage expenses, resulting in long-term cost savings. However, if the design and material selection processes are skipped, and plug-ins of materials are subsequently introduced, then these materials will come at an additional cost. At the policy level, state governments and municipal bodies play a crucial role by offering incentives like additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR), tax benefits, and faster approvals to developers and users opting for green buildings.

These are a few examples based on the ‘push and pull’ model where policy drives innovation, industry facilitates adoption, and consumers embrace change. 

Can you provide an example of how you at GRIHA use partnerships to accelerate sustainable development and climate solutions?

Collaborations and partnerships work as enablers in accelerating climate action. We have collaborated with a diverse set of stakeholders that include academic institutions, industry bodies, government entities, etc. By formalizing these partnerships through memoranda of understanding (MoUs), we foster a shared vision and enable collaborative alliances to achieve more inclusive and sustainable outcomes.

Our partnerships with academic institutions facilitate in the development of novel, innovative and cutting-edge research and solutions. Collaborating with the industry bodies helps us understand the viability and applicability of the research while offering practical, scalable solutions depending on the market demand. The government partners provide crucial policy support and regulatory frameworks. Together, each one of us contributes to create a robust ecosystem that facilitates the implementation of climate solutions.

Furthermore, training and capacity building of industry professionals and the workforce is another essential component in accelerating climate action. By offering customized capacity-building and training programmes, we equip individuals with the required skills and knowledge to drive sustainable practices within their organizations and beyond. Furthermore, it enhances the sector’s capacity to transition to sustainability and promote a long-term systemic shift ensuring far-reaching impacts, thereby contributing to the greater vision of building a climate-resilient future.#

Harshita Kaur is Research Associate at TERI.