NEW DELHI: To deliberate on issues around green growth and development, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) organized a panel discussion on "Green Growth and Development: Challenges and Opportunities for India" in TERI on 18 October, 2012.

Reflecting on the need to increase focus on the various facets of green growth and development, Dr. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, "There is a need to realize that the importance of green growth lies in number of realities, it is extremely crucial for us to come up with a clarity on what defines the dynamics of Green Growth. We need to urgently look at the choices by which growth takes place that minimizes the harmful effects on natural resources that would also result in co-benefits. He further added, "We have healthy rate of economic growth and in future there would be huge demand for natural resources of various kinds and it is a part of various sources that we all live in. Thus, it is of pivotal importance that we minimize the emissions from various sources not only at local level, but I would say, globally."

Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and Member, United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights emphasized on the importance of green growth and development in building adaptive capacity to tackle various developmental and environmental issues. He referred to the Rio+20 Outcome Document which emphasizes on green economy in context of sustainable development and poverty eradication being based on national circumstances." He also emphasized on the role of government and private sector to promote green growth and sustainable development in a market economy.

Expressing his views, Dr. Pronab Sen, Principal Advisor, Planning commission, Govt. of India, said, "There is an urgent need for integrating green growth and development and relooking at the growth pattern and think about the future we want for that will shape the trajectory we take." Raising some serious concern, he opined, "It is essential to look into conventional measures of development such as GDP and see how in best possible way we can ensure the security of future generations."

As highlighted by the Global Green Growth Institute, "Green Growth is considered a new paradigm of economic growth and integrates key aspects of economic performance, such as poverty reduction, job creation and social inclusion, with those of environmental performance, such as mitigation of climate change and biodiversity loss and security of access to clean water and energy."

Dr. Myung-Kyoon Lee, Director, Global Green Growth Institute, "There is a need for strong government leadership at the same time need to focus on how it can engage the private sector. There is also a need for a strong institutional framework to ensure effective implementation of green growth policies."

TERI in continuation to its initiatives which supports and promotes green development, and given the global policy relevance of "green growth" following the deliberations related to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) (also popularly known as Rio+20), has been actively spearheading the related research in this area.

Paragraph 3.15 of the Thirteenth Finance Commission Report that was submitted in December 2009, "Green growth involves rethinking growth strategies with regard to their impact(s) on environmental sustainability and the environmental resources available to poor and vulnerable groups". It may be said that inclusive and green growth would involve a multitude of strategies with different stakeholders playing a role in formulation of policies, social sectors, technology & innovation - all interlinked with growth transitions within a political economy.

At the 99th Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress, India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh stated, "Science should help us understand how to give practical meaning to the concept of sustainable development and green growth." In this context, TERI came up with the quarterly that showcases research and innovative practices, experience of people from diverse countries and sectors focusing on the various aspects of green growth. The quarterly has been launched in the belief that we need to create a platform on which debate and discussion should take place on the various facets of green growth and development, and which needs to be understood by every stakeholder in Indian society. And, in this effort we would not only be focusing on challenges and opportunities pertaining to India but across global society as a whole.

The first ever "Green Growth and Development Quarterly" published by TERI, brings together issues ranging from across the spectrum. It comprises of interview, international case studies, scholarly articles, green analysis, show case of TERI's projects, green from the grassroots (including field level case studies), book review (Low carbon green growth roadmap for Asia and the Pacific) and green updates. 

The panel discussion and the launch of green growth and development quarterly witnessed the presence of eminent luminaries and veteran experts including Dr. Pachauri, Director General, TERI and Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and Member, United Nations Committe on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Dr. Pronab Sen, Principal Advisor, Planning commission, Govt. of India, Mr. Gireesh Pradhan, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India, Dr. Myung-Kyoon Lee, Director, Global Green Growth Institute, Dr. Jason Eis, is Deputy Director of London Office, Global Green Growth Institute.

About The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI):

Led by world-renowned economist and Nobel Prize winning climate scientist, Dr. R.K. Pachauri, TERI is an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.

Since its inception in 1974, TERI has emerged as an institution of excellence for its path-breaking research, and is a global brand widely respected by the political leaders, policy makers, corporate entities as well as the civil society at large. For more information, visit http://www.teriin.org.

Primary Media Contact: Zainab Naeem, zainab.naeem@teri.res.in, 91-8800286575

Secondary Media Contact: Samarth Pathak, samarth.pathak@teri.res.in, 91-9811347927