Conference To Promote U.S. - India Partnership On Climate Change

September 27, 2002

NEW DELHI - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in association with Louis Berger and Environmental Defense inaugurated a two-day conference here today to discuss ways and means of harnessing the power of markets to address the challenges of tempering climate change and securing clean and reliable power.

The September 27 - 28 Roundtable on "Embracing Climate Change: Using Market-Based Mechanisms for Global Competitiveness," will take industry members beyond GHG (greenhouse gases) mitigation practices to explore cross-cutting industrial themes and perceived barriers to adopting GHG reduction technologies, practices and market access. Representatives from the Government of India's key ministries, leading financial institutions and non-governmental organizations are participating in the conference.

Cooperation on energy and environment is a significant component of US-India relations. The U.S. Administration, under President Bush, has expressed a long-term commitment to climate change. The US approach is based on scientific research, technology transfer and promoting market-based mechanisms. The United States participates in and supports several international efforts designed to help countries to address climate change. One important strategy for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is developing and sharing climate-friendly technologies. The United States participates in various bilateral and multilateral technology cooperation initiatives that aim to encourage the use of technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases.

For several years, USAID/India has collaborated with public and private partners to address global climate change. Activities have focused on energy efficiency and conservation in power plants, industry, the transport sector, and end use. USAID has promoted technical cooperation while recognizing the critical link between environmental protection and sustainable development. Current major activities include the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Prevention Project (GEP), the Clean Technologies Initiative (CTI), the Energy Conservation and Commercialization Project (ECO), the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/Energy), and the Water-Energy Nexus in Agriculture Activity (WENEXA).

Successful US-India joint ventures have resulted in India's first commercial electric car, Reva, and important progress in development of electric two and three-wheelers. The U.S. Asia Environmental Partnership has brought hundreds of environmental experts together from both countries to tackle common environmental challenges and promote trade in environmental goods and services. The South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy (SARI/Energy), encourages trade in both hydro-power and natural gas within the South Asia region.