Solutions ModeWe have presented to a crowd of people about the impacts of climate change. They have been mesmerized by pictures of retreating glaciers, and graphs that rise exponentially to disaster. Then comes the question from the audience, ‘So what can we do?’

While TCP started out as an awareness raising organization that helped to inspire numerous grass-root actions, we now feel that along with awareness we need to start promoting solutions- as time is running out! We are therefore proud to launch three initiatives this month that look towards individual and collective actions:

Make a Commitment Campaign: through our new website (see description right) we are asking people to sign up to individual commitments that reduce their climate change impacts. We will send tips and reminders to all those that sign up on meeting their specific commitments. We hope that you will not only sign up but also encourage all your friends, family and those that you present to, to also sign up.

Solutions Database: A section of our website will be devoted to the solutions that you can implement in common scenarios such as your home, school and office. This section will be built over time but we encourage you to have a look at our first set of materials on how you can green different parts of your own home.

A Children’s Awareness Programme: which will not only raise awareness but also ask children to hold adults accountable. Sometimes this is the incentive needed to implement solutions and behaviour change.

One of our new Trustees, Meenakshi Madhvani, put it excellently when she presented to Parle G last month. Climate Change is upon us, and we can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. We hope you join our side. Welcome to solutions mode.Cheers, The TCP India Team

TCP India Launches NEW WEBSITE We are very excited to announce that our new TCP India website is available online as of January 25th. Along with the very talented design team XtraThin, we have developed a site that is user friendly and highly interactive.

The most important feature is the SIGN UP section. Once you register with us, you are given your own page on the site. Here any individual can download our new India slide shows, videos from our competitions, latest articles on climate change and more. You can interact with other members through blogs, discussion forums, and messages. Updates will be regular, and materials you find in the field of climate change can also be posted and shared with registered viewers.

Other features include a Green Marketplace, where you can shop around to see different NGOs and their work, and the Ideas for Change page which offers over different ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint in your home.

Check out www.climateprojectindia.org and sign up to begin. As this website will still be added to and changed over the next month, we would love to have your feedback and reviews. E-mail your thoughts to info@climateprojectindia.org

Live Earth Concert Canceled Due to the November’s attacks on Mumbai the Live Earth Concert was canceled. Although it is a disappointment that the event will not be held in India, we enjoyed working with their team over the last few months. It has pushed us to develop the new resources that are available on our new website, as well as helped to develop TCP India’s media relations.

The Climate MonitorIssue 8, January 2009

TCP India Appoints Pavan Sukhdev as ChairpersonTCP India is pleased to announce that Pavan Sukhdev, MD of Deutshe Bank, has taken on the role of Chairperson for our organisation. Pavan holds a

Bachelors and Masters from Oxford in Physics. Before Deutsche Bank, he worked for 11 years at ANZ Grindlays, across India and in London and has been instrumental in setting up many of the modern banking systems within our country.He currently leads ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity ‘ study on behalf of the EU Commission, and is a leading expert on the economics of the environment.

Pavan pursues his interest in environmental protection in India as a Board member of the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG), India, and as the founder of The Green India States Trust. The latter is an organization which has developed a method of recalculating the GDP of nations to incorporate loss of capital from deforestation. You can learn more about these calculations by checking out www.gistindia.org.

Pavan has also set up a model rainforest restoration and eco-tourism project in Queensland, Australia and Konoor, Tamil Nadu. Despite all his travels to speak at international conferences and the like, he has more than offset his carbon footprint with the reforestation work he funds on both these properties. We are fortunate to have someone as experienced as Pavan on board, and look forward to working with him.

In December Pavan was invited to address participants at the UN Poznan Climate Change Conference on REDD (a proposal for Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

TCP India welcomes new Trustees

Dr. Anish AndheriaDirector –Science, Natural History, and Photography Sanctuary Asia Magazine

Anish is also one of our fellow presenters and a highly respected wild life conservationist. Anish is the perfect guy to have around if you need information on Carbon sequestration, India’s tiger population, or what to do if a snake has just bit you!

Meenakshi Madhvani Managing Partner Spatial Access MediaHer esteemed company, which audits advertising/marketing companies, is the first of its kind in India. She is constantly pushing her high profile clients to include climate change and the environment in their CSR departments, making her a hero among environmentalists.

Gautam Patel Lawyer and Counsel Bombay High CourtGautam’s work with the Bombay Environmental Action Trust and Conservation Action Trust has made him a leading expert in environmental law in India.

FROM TCP INDIA: Pavan Sukhdev (introduced left)TCP India ChairManaging Director Deutshe BankGaurav Gupta (Ex-officio)Director Climate Project India

Below is an excerpt from Aromar Revi’s recently published article entitled “Climate Change Risk: an adaptation and mitigation agenda for Indian cities.” Aromar is founder of TARU, a respected South Asian research and consulting firm. Awarded the Ashoka Fellowship in 1990, he is considered an expert at disaster management mitigation and has played a leading role in designing India’s national public housing programme and urban development schemes.

DroughtThe most serious climate change risk to the

Indian economy and its people is the increased intensity, frequency and geographical coverage of drought. Drought typically makes up one half to two-thirds of the natural hazard risk exposure1. Its primary impact is in rural areas, where agriculture, animal husbandry and, to a lesser extent, forestry2 and fishing are significantly affected, leading to cycles of seasonal and distress migration and increasing rural debt, and a spate of farmer suicides across much of semi-arid India over the last few years3.

Drought has two typical first-order impacts on Indian cities: drinking water shortages and increases in food and biomass fuel prices. It also has a number of important second-order impacts:

1 Rupa Kumar, P et al. (2006), “High-resolution climate change scenarios for India for the 21st century”, Current Science Vol 90, No 3, 10 February, pages 334-345; also GSDMA?TARU (2005), Gujurat Vulnerability and Risk Atlas, Gandhinagar. 2 Ravindranath, N H et al. (2006), “Impact of climate change on forests in India”, Current Science Vol 90, No 3, 10 February, pages 354-361. 3 Sainath, S (2002) Everybody Loves a Good Drought: Stories from India’s Poorest Districts. Penguin, New Delhi

depressed demand for urban- produced secondary goods and services because of depressed agricultural demand; and increasing seasonal and distress migration from rural areas4. Continuing severe climate change-induced drought that makes subsistence agriculture uneconomical in large parts of semi-arid central, western and southern India could catalyze a sharp increase in migration. This, apparently, is not factored into current economic development or national security strategy.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity of drought, especially in western India where five river basins are expected to face acute to severe water shortages, impacting a large number of cities in Gujarat. Land uses, cropping patterns and poor water resource management in the twentieth century have resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in the surface water discharge of the Ganga over the last 25 years and in a sharp drop in groundwater tables across the entire Indo–Gangetic plain5. The Ganga Narmada, Krishna and Kaveri rivers are expected to experience seasonal or regular water stress, impacting western, northern and eastern India6. If the political and economic consequences of the Kaveri dispute and the Narmada struggle7 are an indication, within the next decade Indian federalism could be severely challenged by these changes.

Climate change is expected to increase drought in semi-arid peninsular and western India, forcing more of the landless and small and marginal farmers to migrate to cities. They often form the most vulnerable groups in cities – having limited skills, education, capital and access to the social networks that underpin much of economic and social mobility in urban India. They often live in illegal, unserviced settlements exposed to a wide range of environmental risks from flooding to fire, and continual cycles of demolition and eviction by 4 See reference i, GSDMA/TARU (2005)5 Kumar, Rakesh et al. (2005), “Water resources of India”, Current Science Vol 89, No 5, 10 September, pages 794-811 6 Gosain, A K et al. (2006) “Climate change impact assessment of hydrology of Indian river basins”, Current Science Vol 90, No 3, 10 February, pages 346-3537 Murty, K S (2002) “River water sharing: India’s problem”, International Association of Hydrological Sciences Publication No 274, pages 323-328; also Dreze, J, M Samson and S Sarkar (editors) (2003), The Dam and the Nation: Displacement and Resttlement in the Narmada Valley, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

civil authorities. They are, therefore, dual victims of existing natural hazards and emerging climate change – displaced from their original places of residence and occupations, and challenged by urban risks in their new urban places of residence.

The most serious regional impact of climate change would be changes in the river hydrology in the Indo–Gangetic plain and the Brahmaputra valley due to glacial melt and regression of the Himalayan glaciers8. On-going trans-boundary conflicts between India and Pakistan, and Nepal, India and Bangladesh may be compounded by a possible China–India conflict over the use of the Yarlung Tsang-po/Brahmaputra waters as river flows decline and inter-basin transfers are increasingly suggested as solutions to challenges of urban and regional water stress9.

Four of the ten largest mega-urban regions of the twenty-first century, namely, Delhi, Dhaka, Kolkata and Karachi, lie on the banks of these great rivers along with more than 30 other million-plus cities. Significant changes in river hydrology and the availability of irrigation and drinking water could have a dramatic impact on the growth and development of the many small and medium-sized towns and million-cities that are expected to mushroom across these fertile plains in the next three decades, adding an unprecedented resource dimension to the social and economic transformation of northern and eastern India.

The bulk of the water extraction from these river systems is for irrigation to provide food for close to one billion people. Hence, an emerging conflict is brewing between cities and the rural areas from where the urban water supply is drawn and to where city water pollution is discharged. Since the 1980s, multiple environmental struggles have been fought over the extraction of surface water from remote watersheds where many relatively poor people have been displaced by exploding urban demand10. This will surely

8 Tangri, A K (2003), “Impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers”, Proceedings of V&A Workshop on Water Resources Coastal Zones and Human Health, NATCOM, 27-28 June, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi 9 Chellaney, B (2007), “Averting water wards in Asia”, International Herald Tribune, 26 June. 10 Parasuraman, S and P V Unnikrishnan (2000)m India Disasters Report , Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

accelerate and become an increasing constraint on the current resource-inefficient pattern of urban development – if Delhi’s long saga with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on drinking water transmission is an indication of the future11.

The national capital region of Delhi faces a severe water shortfall of 200 million gallons a day (MGD), or more than 32 per cent of its production12. Drinking water is being transported from more than 300 kilometres away to meet the demands, and unaccounted for water losses are more than 44 per cent13. Rising temperatures and energy demand for cooling, increasing precipitation variability, fewer rainy days, the unsustainable mining of groundwater and a river system that has been polluted to death could all make the Delhi mega-urban region, with a projected population of more than 30 million, highly unsustainable in spite of rapid growth in its income and wealth. These questions are far from the minds of both planners and politicians as they prepare to “green” the city for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Delhi is simultaneously experiencing the “brown”, “grey” and “green” environmental transitions14 over a period of less than 50 years, but water availability rather than economic and social development challenges may be its undoing, as with two other great capital cities of this region: Mohammed-bin-Tuglak’s (1325–1351) Tuglakabad, near Delhi and Akbar’s (1556–1605) Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra. To read the whole article you can write to Aromar Revi at arevi@taru.org

Revi, Aromar, Climate change risk: an adaptation and mitigation agenda forIndian cities, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 20, No. 1, 207-229 (2008)DOI: 10.1177/0956247808089157 Accessed fromhttp://eau.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/20/1/207 on December 10, 2008

11 Zerah, M H (2000), Water, Unreliable Supply in Delhi, Manohar Publishers, New Delhi. 12 Daga, S (2005), “Private supply of water in Delhi”, Centre for Civil Society, accessed 4 July 2007 at http://www.teri.res.in/terrin/news/terivsn/issue35/water.htm; also Delhi Jal Board, accessed 4 July 2007 at <http://www.delhijalboard.nic.in/>13 Government of NCT of Delhi (2002), Economic Survey (2001-2002), New Delhi. 14 McGranahan, G and P J Mercutollio (2007b), Scaling Urban Environmental Challenges: From Local to Global and Back, Earthscan, London.

Nidhi’s corporate and personal diaries have energy saving tips and Climate Change facts on each page.

Eco-Product Profile: Indigreens

Our Media Consultant, Nidhi Singh, has recently launched an eco line of diaries, bags and t-shirts in her brand called Indigreen. The stories of obstacles and adversities she had to face in order to ensure her entire supply chain was as eco-friendly as possible

literally had us doubled over in laughter and tears. She had to learn everything the hard way,

but the result is a fabulous line of products that we are sure will sell. Her insights on being an “ecopreneur” are both inspiring and a reality check:

Ten Commandments of an Ecopreneur

1. Thou shall research, work hard, and run-around to ensure only verified eco materials are sourced for creating your product.

2. Although super convenient, thou shall not utilize product supply chains that have a high energy consumption rate.

3. Thou shall only follow the more costly practice of fair trade that will bring a smile upon worker’s faces.

4. Thou shall not fall into the trap of compromising on the eco values to suit the buyer’s budget.

5. Thou shall not get emotionally blackmailed by the manufacturer about how hard, and time consuming it is to create an eco friendly product.

6. Thou shall not create plastic/paper materials for publicity and devise other creative eco friendly options to make your mark on the world.

7. Thou shall take time to explain to frugal customers the importance of making a more expensive but green purchase for a happy future.

8. Thou shall stick to eco packaging choices to make the product green inside and out.

9. Thou shall remove the “boring” stigma around green products, and use originality of concept and design to win over customer’s interest and loyalty forever.

10. Thou shall not let recession and terror attacks come in the way of your commitment towards creating and promoting only green products!

Bollywood Goes Green: Bags and t-shirts with hand painted patches to keep alive the dying artform of Bollywood posters.

Corporate Diaries with daily tips and facts about Climate Change

TCP India endorses the products as following authentic eco-friendly practices, and as a partner organization to Indigreen, we enjoy 10% of the profits. Purchases are not only gentle on the environment; they also help us spread the message of climate change.

Since the production of Indigreen items is so specialized, Nidhi cannot keep a stock of items and caters only to orders. The products are great for corporate kits or holiday gifts.

To find out more about Indigreen contact: Nidhisingh05@gmail.com

Messages from PoznanThe Indian Youth Climate Network was able to send a youth delegation from India to Poznan. They went to be observers in the conference, and hoped that they would offer the delegations present an opportunity to hear the youth’s opinion on the subject.

They were welcomed with wide arms and invited to sit in on discussions and meet with experts and politicians. Deepa Gupta and Kartikeya Singh, Executive Directors of IYCN, sent us messages from Poznan about what they were experiencing.

“I write this after returning from UN Climate talks in Poland, where one thing became heartbreakingly apparent: for some people, these negotiations weren't just about numbers and compromise and diplomacy. For some people, these negotiations were about survival. People toss around a lot of lofty words at the UN, so let me be clear. I'm not talking about "survival" as an abstract concept, or some distant problem for future generations. I'm talking about countries and peoples getting quite literally wiped off the map within decades. I'm talking about human lives and livelihoods being destroyed by the impacts of climate change here and now. The countries facing the biggest impacts of climate change are also the countries most poorly represented here in the United Nations. Two weeks ago 49 of the world's most vulnerable countries endorsed the 350 target that the latest science calls for. Instead of recognizing the importance of this call, some EU leaders and Australia backpedalled on their already weak climate commitments, whilst Canada and the US sat around doing nothing. Hence the 500 young people present from around the world decided that it was to change the conversation in Poland, to send one clear message that cut through the static. Survival is not negotiable.” -Deepa Gupta

“The young climate leaders from across India who are convening here in Poznan know that the real battle lies not just in this international forum, but back home in India. With unbelievable access to an accommodating Indian government delegation, we have realized that the challenges to implementing

sustainable development policies do exist within India. To get our country to go down a path towards sustainability and take leadership on the climate issue means ensuring that we account for national security when considering energy options, it means using economic arguments for investing in clean energy (instead of subsidizing fossil fuels), it means implementing no-regrets solutions (such as good public transportation in every city, progressive taxation on polluting industries, and stringent energy efficiency standards). But more importantly, it means creating a mass movement: one that will span the length and width of India calling for an awakening of the consumer consciousness and awareness on the scale of not only local but the global of where India wants to be and how it should genuinely and rightfully gain its place as a leader amongst the league of nations. –Kartikeya Singh

Delhi Media Workshop with TCP India

Seeing the importance of media’s role in spreading awareness about climate change, TCP India held a session on Climate Change for the media in Delhi last month. The presentation focused on the role that India as a developing nation can play in order to reduce its contribution to global warming in the near future. It was attended by approximately 30 eminent newspaper and television journalists.

Sanjeev Sanyal, regional chief economist at Deutsche Bank and TCP presenter, was also invited to share the research that GIST (Green India States Trust) has been doing over the past few years with regard to "Green accounting." This refers to the application of the principles of environmental economics, which ascribe tangible economic value to natural resources. The current calculation of GDP does not take into account the resources consumed for the development of various industries and this leads to a false representation of the GDP.

The feedback was positive and we hope to do similar sessions in Mumbai in the upcoming year.

GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE: 6TH DECEMBER 2008The Global Climate Campaign engaged the world’s youth in a Global Day of Action on Climate Change to support of the Poznan UNFCCC Climate Talks (COP14/MOP4) taking place. They issued the following “Call to Action:”

“We demand that world leaders take the urgent and resolute action that is indeed to prevent the catastrophic destabilization of global climate, so that the entire world can move as rapidly as possible to a stronger emission reductions treaty which is both equitable and effective in minimizing dangerous climate change.

We demand the long-industrialized countries that have emitted most greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere take responsibility for climate change mitigation by immediately reducing their own emissions as well as investing in a clean energy revolution in the developing world. Developed countries must take their fair share of the responsibility to pay for the adaptive measures that have to be taken, especially developing countries like India’ to make it contextual to India.

Climate change will hit the poorest first and hardest. All who have the economic means to act, must therefore urgently and decisively do so.”

Naveen Mishra, one of the coordinators of the campaign, sent pictures of the events that took place all over India to mobilize the youth.