The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is preparing to participate in COP26 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) which will take place in Glasgow, United Kingdom from 1 to 12 November 2021. 13th Edition of Environment and Energy Conclave on 'Inclusive Growth with Resource Efficiency' on 26th and 27th August 2020 was presented as precursor to COP26.

The focus was to make the event a forum for International Policy Advocacy towards Climate Change bringing in inputs from Government, Business, Think Tanks, Academia and also Youths.

Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Power, Government of West Bengal was the Chief Guest.

Towards Green Recovery and Industry Transition

Dr. John Murton, UK Government's COP26 Envoy and Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, TERI and also a 'Friend of the COP' were present in the Conclave. Ms. Natalie Toms, Director-Prosperity Team India British High Commission, New Delhi and Mr. Mohammad Hossain, Director General, Power Cell, Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources, Government of Bangladesh also joined them.

Dr. John Murton who was the Lead Speaker on 26th August said: "It is great to be virtually in India today with The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and TERI, to talk about how we can build back better and ensure a clean and resilient recovery. India is making world-beating progress in renewables and Indian businesses and innovators will play a vital role alongside governments in ensuring a successful COP26 in Glasgow".

5 Key campaigns that they are now focusing on for COP 26 summit are:
▪  Campaign on 'Transition to clean Energy': India already leading. Has a commitment to reach 1 lakh MW from solar power by end of 2020.
▪  Campaign on 'Transition to Clean Transport': India has huge opportunities in this sector.
▪  Campaign on 'Nature based solutions': To demonstrate how the mangrove forest of Sundarbans also acts as a carbon sink and helps the State of West Bengal become low carbon resilient.
▪  Work on adaptation and resilience policies: This can have excellently good effects on Bangladesh and other low lying areas.
▪  Work on finance: All Financial institutions, the Finance Ministry, the Finance departments of all organizations should consider Climate Change and other sustainable factors before making any financial sanctions, so that there are no negative impacts on environment.

Dr. Ajay Mathur, the Keynote Speaker, said 'It is important to link actions to be taken now with India's goals till COP26 and India's commitments of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) till the 2030'. He mentioned need for electrification in areas possible, for example; transport, particularly public transport and low temperature industries. Electrification in transport is slow but growing. We now need to focus on infrastructure and technology improvement, such as creating and maintaining charging stations. We also need to focus on related policy issues. A common issue that persists is that several people still say that they would purchase electric two wheelers if there were enough charging stations. The good part is in Kolkata electric buses are growing. This indicates we are on the right track.

The Conclave featured India Inc. Round Table towards Green Recovery bringing together Business Leaders from Private Sector and PSUs with COP26 Leadership to discuss policy interventions and business models to create roadmap for green recovery. The Session included:

▪  Mr. Nigel Topping, UK Government's High Level Climate Action Champion, COP26.
▪  Mr. Stefan Louis, CEO, Exide Leclanche Energy Pvt Ltd.
▪  Mr. Subhasendu Chatterjee, Whole Time Director Haldia Petrochemicals Limited.
▪  Mr. Raghav Raj Kanoria, Managing Director, India Power Corporation Limited.
▪  Ms. Anna French, Deputy Head of DFID India, and Head of the Urban, Energy and Green Growth Team.
▪  Dr. P K Mukhopadhyay, Member Secretary, Damodar Valley Corporation.
▪  Mr. Deepak Amitabh, IRS, Chairman and Managing Director, PTC India Limited.
▪  Mr. Rahul Tabhane, Country Head, India, UK Export Finance.
▪  Mr. Deb A Mukherjee, President Designate, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry moderated the Sessions as mentioned above.

The Conclave opened with addresses by Shri Rajnath Ram, Adviser (Energy), NITI Aayog, Government of India on 'Energy Data Management for Inclusive Growth'; Mr. Mohit Bhargava, Head of Renewable Energy Division & CEO, NVVN, NTPC Limited on 'Social and Environmental Growth as core Business Strategy', and Mr. Ghanshyam Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India welcomed and chaired by Mr. Gautam Ray, Chairperson, Energy and Environment Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Kolkata Virtual Sustainable Action Dialogue of WSDS 2021 - Driving Post COVID Economic Growth through Resource Efficiency
The Conclave also featured The Kolkata Virtual Sustainable Action Dialogue of TERI's The World Sustainable Development Summit chaired by Mr. Ajay Shankar, Distinguished Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute. Dr. Annapurna Vancheswaran, Senior Director-Communication Outreach and Advocacy Unit, The Energy and Resources Institute introduced WSDS addressing the theme, 'Redefining our Common Future: Safe and Secure Environment for All' is slated for February 10-12, 2021, in New Delhi to be held as a hybrid event-with partial onsite and online discussions.

The Theme of the Virtual Sustainable Action Dialogue was Driving Post COVID Economic Growth through Resource Efficiency. The speakers included:
▪  Mr. Souvik Bhattacharjya, Associate Director, Integrated Policy Analysis Division, The Energy and Resources Institute.
▪  Prof. Dr. Sadhan Kumar Ghosh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Chief Coordinator, Centre for Sustainable Development and Resource Efficiency Management, Jadavpur University.
▪  Dr. Divya Tiwari, CEO, Saahas.
▪  Dr. Rachna Arora, Deputy Team Leader (EU-REI Project), GIZ.
▪  Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla FAA FTSE HonFIEAustCPEng, ARC LAUREATE FELLOW, Director, ARC Green Manufacturing Research Hub, Director, NSW Circular, Director, Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Dr. Ajay Mathur and Mr. Deb A Mukherjee concluded the Session.

Round Table Discussions on Sustainable Energy Security for the Sub Continent
A special focus was made on the energy landscape of the Indian Subcontinent with speakers from:
▪  Bangladesh
▪  Nepal
▪  Bhutan

Mr. Kulman Ghising, Managing Director, Nepal Electricity Authority; Mr. Shafique Uddin, Managing Director, West Zone Power Company, Bangladesh Power Development Board and Mr. Sonam Tobjey, Chief Executive Officer, Bhutan Power Corporation Limited were speakers with Mr. Arun M Mukherjee, Mentor, Energy and Environment Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the Session Chairperson.

Setting the Agenda
Shri Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, addressed on 27th August. He was joined by Ms. Libby Green, Head of Prosperity (Climate, Energy, Urban, Ease of Doing Business, Financial Services), British High Commission New Delhi; Mr. Deb A Mukherjee and Mr. Gautam Ray.

Climate Resilient Strategies for Vulnerable Sunderbans
This Session was chaired by Mr. Aloke Mookherjea, Past President, The Bengal Chamber and Commerce and Industry. The Speakers were:
▪  Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Senior General Manager, Indofil Industries Limited and Co-Chairperson, Agriculture & Rural Development Committee, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
▪  Dr. Debalina Sengupta, Associate Director, TEES Gas and Fuels Research Center; WEF Nexus Coordinator, Texas A&M Energy Institute.
▪  Professor Andy Large, Director, UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Research Hub, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University.
▪  Dr. A. Anurag Danda, Senior Visiting Fellow, Observer Research Foundation.
▪  Mr. Alexei Levene, Co-Founder, Desolenator

E-Mobility Forum
It is on one of the four key focus areas of COP26 'Clean Growth' Electric mobility will be a key thematic area on which countries, cities and businesses will showcase their ambition at COP26.

Kolkata has been the first city to feature in the report of International Energy Agency (IEA), Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, on success of e-buses.

Mr. Vedantha Kumar, Head of Transport and Industry, International Climate Strategy (COP26) was the Lead Speaker. Mr. Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group chaired the Session.

Shri Debashis Sen, Chairman, Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal and Shri Prabhat Kumar Mishra, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Transport, Government of West Bengal graced the Session showcasing the E-mobility Initiatives in Rajarhat New Town Area and the Success Story of E-Buses in Kolkata.

The other speakers were:
▪  Mr. S. Gopal, Managing Director, Energy Efficiency Services Limited.
▪  Dr. Prabodh Bajpai, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering, Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
▪  Mr. Udai S Mehta, Deputy Executive Director, CUTS International, Jaipur.
▪  Mr. Hemang Shah, India Head, EO Charging India.
▪  Ms. Haimanti Poddar, Senior Energy, Climate Change & Urban Adviser, Prosperity Team - UK Trade, Economics and Prosperity, British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata.

PHEV integration in Smart Grid, Electric Vehicle Policy-making in India: Comparative assessment of existing EV policies in Indian States and Union Territories, Opportunities in faster creation of charging infrastructure in cities, Making E-Mobility Convenient and UK-India Knowledge Exchange Programme on electric mobility were discussed.

Youth Forum: #GREEN
This Session brought together youths from different countries with their perspectives on 'Sustainability'. The Session was presented as part of UN75 Dialogues.

Ms. Pauline Laravoire, Sustainability Director, Techno India Group, Founder, Y-East, Curator, Offbeat CCU and Director, Technopreneurs' Surrogate Ventures chaired the Session.
The Speakers included:
▪  Mr. Bonu Ramesh Naidu, Research Scholar, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur (India).
▪  Mr. Mohamed Sufiyan Challiwala, Research Scholar, Texas A&M University (USA).
▪  Mr. Shashank Shekhar, Techno India University/Y-East Ambassador(India).
▪  Mr. Srijan Mukhopadhyay, M.Tech, TERI School of Advanced Studies (India).
▪  Ms. Meheruba Mahbub, LLB, University of London (Bangladesh).
▪  Ms. Areeya Tandukar, Bronze Awardee and current Silver Award Participant, from The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, Grade 10, Sanskriti International School (Nepal).
▪  Ms. Michaela Samanta, Undergraduate Student, The University of British Columbia, Bronze Silver and Gold Holder Awardee from The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (Indonesia).

CUTS International was the Knowledge Partner. The Chamber pledged to its Members and Stakeholders, on occasion of the Conclave, to plant trees after the havoc impact of Super Cyclone Amphan in Eastern India. With their support, 257,070 trees are being planted in Bengal and Jharkhand especially in industrial regions.

The programme was organized virtually in multiple digital platforms including cloud streaming and interactions designed for the Conclave.