Bihar signs pact with UNEP to work on climate resilient development

PATNA: Government of Bihar signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) aiming to achieve climate resilience and low carbon development by year 2040. Bihar has become the first Indian state to do so. UNEP, over the next two years, is set to lead a multi-stakeholder team, which will assess the carbon footprint of various sectors in Bihar. Based on the assessment, the team will lay out a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increasing carbon sinks.

As per the MoU, UNEP will  provide technical assistance to prepare the state’s greenhouse gas inventory and will also suggest revisions to the State Action Plan on Climate Change under which climate priorities of each state converges with the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Bihar has been introducing a lot of initiatives including Jal-Jeevan Hariyali, Agriculture Roadmap, Renewable Energy Policy, and Clean Fuel Policy to increase green cover and to tackle air and water pollution. Tarkishore Prasad, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, said that this concerted effort for creating a carbon-neutral Bihar for future generations will add to the already ongoing programmes.

Neeraj Kumar Singh, Minister of Environment, Government of Bihar, said that this partnership will lead to a more comprehensive climate resilient development. Dipak Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary in-charge of Department of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said that although Bihar has been working on climate resilient agriculture and on controlling air pollution, all these programmes have been sector-specific and compartmentalized, and for the first time, the state will develop a comprehensive strategy for a long carbon pathway development of Bihar, which will include all these sectors.