Subject: Environment and Ecology
Topic: Indian Network On Climate Change Assessment

The Indian Network on Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) was launched in October 2009 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in an effort to promote domestic research on climate change, and build on the country’s climate change expertise. This network of over 220 scientists from 120 premier research institutions in the country, is aimed at bringing in more science-based policy-making, based on measurements, monitoring and modelling.

The INCCA will carry out research on the effects of climate change in different regions and sectors in India and suggest suitable adaptation and mitigation steps. The first publication to come out from the INCCA has been an updated greenhouse gas emissions inventory for India for the year 2007. The last GHG inventory was done in 1994, as part of India’s first

National Communications for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The objective behind setting up INCCA was to have an independent body of Indian scientists who could “prepare scientific reports at the domestic level about the impact of climate change on various sectors, which can give a real picture and influence the world debate” according to Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh. Reports prepared by the INCCA will form a part of India’s National Communication (Nat Com) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). National Workshop of the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA).

The Ministry of Environment & Forests is organizing a National Workshop of the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) to release an Assessment of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission 2007.The Ministry of Environment and Forests has prepared this under the aegis of INCCA.

Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission will address the concluding session. Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of state for Environment and Forests, Shri Vijai Sharma, Secretary and Dr Subodh K Sharma ,Adviser will also address the session. be participating in the deliberations of the Workshop. Please find enclosed the Provisional Programme.

INCAA was launched on October 14, 2009 at a National Workshop on Climate Change in India towards preparation of a comprehensive Climate Change Assessment. INCAA has been visualized as a network based programme mandated to undertake programmes of Climate Change Assessment and in this connection had announced that the Ministry during 2010 will bring out two Assessments, namely Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission for the year 2007 and a 4 X 4 Assessment of impacts of Climate Change on four sectors namely, Agriculture, Water, Natural Eco-system and Health will be included in it. They will cover four regions – Himalayan, Northeastern, Coastal and Western Ghats regions. The Ministry has been engaged in the preparation of these Assessments and the first Assessment on the GHG Emission 2007 for the sectors such as Energy; Industry; Agriculture; Land-use, change and wastes is now ready for release.

The Assessment has been prepared by scientists and experts belonging to various institutions countrywide as an INCCA Network on GHG Emissions. At the workshop, present-ations on GHG Emissions will be made by the participating Scientists/ Experts.

Assessment will cover various aspects of emission like emission from industry, agricul-ture Land-use, Land-use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors. Papers will be presented on emission from electricity generation, transport, residential and commercial sector, coal mining and handling, cement, other industries, rice cultivation, soil and burning of crop residue, livestock, etc. Estimation of Carbon Stock in Indian Forests, use of remote sensing techniques for land categorization, municipal solid waste, industrial and domestic waste water will also be discussed. Participants will be from Central Institute Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi, The Energy Resources Institute, New Delhi, Cement Manufacturing Association, Delhi, Confederation of Indian Industries, New Delhi, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore, National Remote Sensing Agency and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur.

Answer of Question 1: D