Mint Sustainability Summit to deliberate on climate change and the green imperative

Union minister Pralhad Joshi will deliver the keynote address at the Mint Sustainability Summit 2024 on Tuesday, amidst a full day of intense deliberations, debates and conversations around one of the most pressing themes of the day—climate change and the green imperative.

Joshi, who is the Union minister of new and renewable energy, and consumer affairs, food and public distribution, will dwell on the most difficult challenge of our times, and how the quick adoption of renewable energy sources are critical to meet this challenge. He will also speak on the government’s renewable energy targets and net-zero ambitions.

On water crisis

The government will also be represented by two senior officers. Speaking on the rising water crisis will be Anuj Kanwal, commissioner (command area development & water management & bureau of water use efficiency), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Jal Shakti ministry.

And Rajesh Kumar, inspector general of forest, ministry of environment, forest and climate change, will dwell on the challenges facing the environment from a forest cover perspective and the action plan of the government to increase the country’s forest cover.

Giving them company will be a galaxy of experts from PSUs and the private sector, who will deliberate and brainstorm on the multiple aspects of sustainability in this third edition of the Mint Sustainability Summit.

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Leading the non-government speakers is Gurdeep Singh, chairman and managing director of India’s biggest power generator, NTPC Ltd., which has made notable forays into generating power from renewable sources. Singh will be joined on the panel by Shivanand Nimbargi, MD & CEO, Ayana Renewable Power; Manikkan S, executive. director and CEO, Radiance Renewables; Rahul Tongia, senior fellow, Centre for Social and Economic Progress; and Sujoy Ghosh, vice president & country managing director for india, First Solar. This panel will debate on where India’s solar journey is currently, and what needs to be done to speed things up.

Beginning with climate

The day will begin with a power-packed deliberation on climate change with stalwarts from the subject such as Hisham Mundol, chief advisor, Environmental Defense Fund India; Saurabh Kumar, vice-president, India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP); Amit Prothi, director general, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI); Aarti Khosla, director, Climate Trends; and Arun Sharma, group head for sustainability & climate change, Adani Group.

Also read | India must manage its green energy demand for a successful climate transition

Climate change is expected to wreak havoc despite measures being taken currently. Temperatures are consistently rising each year and heatwaves becoming more and more common, monsoons are becoming more unpredictable, Himalayan glaciers are melting, affecting the stability of our rivers, and extreme events are happening at a frequency unmatched in human memory. Does humanity have the power to reverse this? Should India just continue to build its clean energy arsenal and encourage an overall transition to renewable energy? Will that be enough? Or should we take pre-emptive steps from now to prepare for the worst? These are the key questions that will be addressed.

Financing sustainability

Further, there will also be sessions on water credits as a financing mechanism towards sustainability goals by Angelo George, CEO of Bisleri International; a session on responsible mining by Priya Agarwal Hebbar, non-executive director, Vedanta & chairperson of Hindustan Zinc; a panel discussion on whether India Inc. is really doing enough from a sustainability perspective, with panellists from Larsen & Toubro, ITC Hotels, Deloitte India, Savills India and Achilles Information Ltd.

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There are also sessions on clean mobility, with leaders from PMI Electro Mobility Solutions, Greenline Mobility Solutions, and Blusmart. Of particular interest would be a session on financing climate adaptability, with leaders from Prosus Group, Ankur Capital, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Trilegal.

The day’s proceedings will be wrapped up by a session on renewable sources of energy that are not solar, such as wind power, biogas and ethanol, and their role in India’s energy landscape, now and in the future.