Consultative Meeting held to Review Strategies on Climate Resilience and Low Carbon Development Pathway for Bihar

PATNA: Bandana Preyashi, secretary, department of environment, forest and climate change on Wednesday said a state climate finance cell will soon be formed to ensure availability of necessary funds for schemes related to climate actions. The secretary also revealed plans to enhance the Climate Change Cell within the Forest Department, aiming to strengthen measures taken to combat climate change.

Preyashi shared these crucial developments during a consultative meeting hosted at the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), focusing on the ‘Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development Pathways’ project for Bihar. The meeting, held under her chairmanship, saw discussions on strategies to tackle climate change in the state.
“A climate finance cell for all departments could be a game-changer for executing schemes and measures to tackle climate change. We would soon formulate an organizational structure for the same,” Preyashi stated during the meeting.

In addition to the climate cell announcement, the meeting included in-depth discussions on various aspects of the ‘Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development Pathways’ project. This project, executed under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between BSPCB and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in February 2021, aims to pave the way for a sustainable and low-carbon future in Bihar with the aim of achieving net-zero by 2070 while building resilience of people and systems.

Over the past two years, a technical consortium comprising internationally renowned organizations, including WRI India, meticulously collected data from over 20 line departments. The consortium visited all 38 districts of the state, conducted over 350 meetings, and organized 30 stakeholder consultations to develop a comprehensive long-term climate strategy for Bihar. A strategy document resulting from this extensive exercise was presented during the review meeting, with feedback sought from relevant stakeholders.

Lauding the futuristic findings and recommendations of the strategy document, Secretary Bandana Preyashi emphasized the need to fast-track policy measures suggested within it.

BSPCB’s Chairman, D K Shukla, expressed general agreement on the strategy document, highlighting the importance of reducing carbon emissions in Bihar despite the state’s marginal 3% contribution to the country’s total carbon emissions. Shukla underscored the rapid development in Bihar, emphasizing the need for measures across various sectors, including energy, agriculture, construction, and transport.

The initiative was lauded Bihar’s leadership for being the first state to design net-zero strategies. He suggested that the state’s model can be replicated among other states and similar geographies, across countries.

Ulka Kelkar, Executive Director of Climate at WRI India, presented a detailed overview of the ‘Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development Pathways’ project. She highlighted the distinctive strategies required for Bihar’s rapid development, showcasing efforts that involved on-the-ground data collection across all 38 districts, surveys of 35,000 people, and feedback from 18 departments.