TERI to unveil the ‘Corporate Vision on Climate Change’ at COP 21

For the first time, top Indian businesses comprising of GAIL, YES BANK, DMRC, ITC Limited, Hindustan Unilever, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Tata Group among others will ‘Reinforce India’s Commitments’ by sharing a comprehensive ‘Climate Vision’ on the global platform of COP 21.

The launch is being organized by TERI’s ‘Council for Business Sustainability’. The landmark initiative engaged with 200 corporates over a period of nine months.

The Initiative will be unveiled on the sidelines of COP 21 in Paris early next week. It spells out India Inc.’s strengths, approaches and achievements in tackling the impacts of climate change..

Dr Annapurna Vancheswaran, Senior Director, Sustainable Development Outreach and Convener, Council for Business Sustainability, TERI said, “I am delighted that TERI ‘Council for Business Sustainability’ with support of its members is poised to present itself on this global platform. Our special initiative ‘Reinforcing India’s Commitments’ articulates corporate India’s approach to embrace opportunities and take actions to deal with the impacts of climate change while aligning with Govt. of India’s commitments. A compilation of corporate best practices with special focus on national initiatives will be presented on the sidelines of COP 21 addressing roles, actions and vision of businesses. The challenge for global community is to find ways to be part of the solution that is achievable and sustainable. The ensuing CoP 21 deliberations in Paris are reposed with hope that equity and justice will find its place in the common agreement.

Making its first appearance in Paris at COP21, TERI CBS will host the following events:

• India Energy Dialogue: Moving forward on India’s intention of reducing emission intensity by 33-35%, policy makers, corporates and multilateral organizationswill deliberate on improving the efficiency of energy use and expanding the use of renewable energy during the ‘India Energy Dialogue’ session. The objective is to ascertain global collaboration during the international climate change negotiations.
• Reinforcing India’s Commitments: Special Focus-Corporate India: The Document will amplify the voices of over 200 top Indian businesses focusing on four pressing themes that are of utmost importance to achieve a low-carbon and climate-resilient future—Improving the Efficiency of Energy Use, Expanding the Use of Renewable Energy, Ensure Water Availability in  Climate, and Efficient Waste Management.
• Global Climate Action: Perspectives on Major Energy Initiatives – United States, India and China’ (in association with NRDC and GEI China): Leading policymakers from China, India and the United States will discuss major climate initiatives from a multi-stakeholder perspective – including a coal consumption cap in China, expansive renewable energy growth and energy efficiency measures in India, and the Clean Power Plan in the U.S.

Other events hosted by TERI are as follows:

• Galvanizing the Post-2015 Groundswell of Climate Actions: The Workshop will deliberate on how the groundswell and national climate policies (in particular the Nationally Determined Contributions [NDCs]) reinforce each other. It will convene a wide range of stakeholders representing cities, corporations, regions, and other sub and non–state actors, to discuss these questions, and to take the groundswell of climate actions forward to 2020 and beyond.
• "Data & Values, Science, Politics and Mechanisms: Ambition and impact of INDCs and the Global Deal: The event will present trans-disciplinary insights and quantitative assessments of the ambition and comparability of INDCs, and their aggregated impact on achieving the 2/1.5°C target.
• Will Paris pave way for Africa’s prosperity and transformation: From an African perspective, there are two key aspirations at COP21 in Paris. First, the post-2020 climate agreement should be ambitious and equitable enough to keep global warming within the 2°C threshold while ensuring prosperity for all. Second, the climate deal should be strongly reflective of finance, technology, and capacity building transfers from developed to developing countries. The objective is to convene diverse stakeholder groups to deliberate on ‘will’ and ‘how’ the Post‐2020 Climate Agreement can meet Africa’s expectations to emerge as leaders in transitioning towards low carbon development strategies.
• Looking beyond the Mitigation targets of INDCs: Finance, Fairness, Adaption