Himachal prepares to become carbon-neutral, CM to hold meet

In pursuit of his ambitious plan to make Himachal Pradesh the first carbon-neutral state in India, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has scheduled a meeting with environmental experts, NGOs, industry representatives and government officials here on October 16. The session has three main issues on its agenda, namely, the effect of climate change, assessing the carbon footprint of the state and the opportunities to earn carbon credits.

The state’s Department of Environment and Scientific Technologies has already prepared a Draft Policy on Climate Change identifying forests, hydro-power projects, industry, transport, renewable energy and waste management as the key areas for earning carbon credits. At least a dozen hydel projects, including the World Bank-funded 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri project, have already been registered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCC) for obtaining carbon credits.