An important workshop on climate change was organized on Monday by EPCO of Environment Department in collaboration with International Research Institute WRI India.
In the workshop, an MoU was also signed by APCO with WRI India for technical cooperation, which will focus on work related to climate change and conservation of forests in Madhya Pradesh in the next 5 years.
The main objective of the workshop was to present and discuss the main points of the Climate Change Conference COP-27 held in Egypt in November 2022.
The program was presided over by Executive Director, EPCO Mujibur Rahman Khan. Harjit Singh, Head, CAN International was the keynote speaker of the workshop. Specially present in the inaugural session were Mr. Lokendra Thakkar, Coordinator, State Climate Change Centre, Ulka Kelkar, Director, Climate Program, WRI India, Dr. Ruchika Singh, Director, Forest Program, WRI India and Mr. Subroto Chakraborty, Senior Manager, Climate Program. Leading academic institutions and subject-experts based in Bhopal also participated in the programme.
Praising WRI India, Executive Director EPCO said that I hope that fruitful and meaningful efforts will be made in the state in the next 5 years in the MoU, as a result of which we will take mutually concrete steps towards sustainable and green development. APCO will continue to provide all institutional and technical support to WRI India and concerned departments at the State and District level.
State Climate Change Center’s Coordinator Mr. Lokendra Thakkar said that APCO M.P. It is a specialized organization of the government, which is committed to research studies, planning work and training and capacity development, along with advising the state government on issues related to the environment.
Highlighting the topic of Loss & Damage related to climate change, Mr. Singh, the chief speaker of the program, said that Madhya Pradesh is a highly sensitive state to the effects of climate change, which is posing a big challenge in the agriculture, water resources, tourism and energy sectors. Technical and financial resources, along with appropriate policies, are needed to enhance local-level solutions, enhance resilience, and enhance human capacity by addressing losses and damages. The state will also benefit from exchange of knowledge within and outside the country by learning from others facing similar issues.
Subroto Chakraborty in his presentation told about the main points of the Climate Change Conference COP-27 held in Egypt in the month of November 2022 and Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.
Ulka Kelkar and Dr. Ruchika Singh also made a presentation on the MoU signed with APCO. Kelkar said that Madhya Pradesh is a very important state in terms of climate action in India.
It is one of the top 10 states in India in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
The state is implementing measures such as protecting wetlands, reviving traditional water-harvesting structures, and promoting indigenous cattle breeds. There is also a lot of potential for communities to be a part of low carbon emissions in big and small cities of the state.
