Lok Sabha Question No. 1865 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-14
Subject: India Cooling Action Plan
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Vishnu Dutt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1865

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2022

## India Cooling Action Plan

## 1865. SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA: SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has made achievements in implementation of different thematic areas of India Cooling Action Plan;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Government  believes  that  developed  countries  are  lagging  behind  in  their participation  on  the  problem  of  climate  change  at  the  international  level  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government of India has been alerting the developed countries to live up to the various international environmental protection agreements that are participatory and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the  details  of  contribution  made  by  the  Government  during  the  last  three  years  to  the problem of environmental protection and climate change at the global lecwl?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) & (b):  The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) provides an integrated vision towards cooling across  sectors  encompassing, inter  alia, reduction  of  cooling  demand,  refrigerant  transition, enhancing energy efficiency and better technology options by 2037-38 through forging synergies with  on-going  programmes/  schemes  of  the  Government.  Following  steps  have  been  taken  to implement the recommendation of various thematic areas of the ICAP:

- (i) With  regard  to  reduction  of  cooling  and  energy  demand  in  Space  Cooling  in  building sector,  a list of action points have been finalised  after mapping of the recommendations of the India Cooling Action Plan with the ongoing government programmes/ schemes of the various Ministries.
- (ii) Towards promoting passive cooling in buildings, Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has brought  out  the  Energy  Conservation  Building  Code  (ECBC)  for  all  large  commercial (non-residential) buildings and Eco-Niwas Samhita (ECBC-R) for the residential buildings.
- (iii) Studies on promoting non-Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) and low Global Warming Potential based technologies in Cold Chain, Building sector and Public Procurement have been undertaken and reports have been published.
- (iv) To  promote  indigenous  development  of  low  global  warming  potential  refrigerants,  the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India has funded a research project to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad.
- (v) Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in collaboration with Bureau of Indian Standards has undertaken a simulation study for developing safety standards for flammable refrigerants in the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning sector.
- (vi) Up-skilling and certification of 43,450 Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (RAC) service technicians has been undertaken under the national skill qualification framework (NSQF) of  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas  Yojana  (PMKVY)  of  the  Ministry  of  Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).  In addition, 29,000 RAC service technicians are being trained as part of implementation of Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) phase out Management Plans under the Montreal Protocol.

(c) & (d):  Issues relating to climate change and environmental protection are discussed in the various  international  environmental  conventions  and  treaties  comprising  representatives  from both developed and developing countries. Commitments including decisions in such conventions  and  treaties  are  arrived  after  extensive  discussions  and  following  a  process  of consensus.  India  has  raised  the  issue  of  disproportionate  usage  of  global  carbon  budget  by developed countries that has led to global warming; their high levels of current emissions and their need to reach net zero much ahead of 2050.

(e ) India is a signatory to major global environmental conventions and treaties including, inter alia, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Convention to Combat  Desertification, Convention  on  Biological Diversity, Paris  Agreement,  Montreal Protocol  on  Substances  that  Deplete  the  Ozone  Layer,  Stockholm  Convention  on  Persistent Organic  Pollutants,  Minamata  Convention  on  Mercury,  Convention  on  International  Trade  in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Convention on the Conservation of  Migratory Species  of  Wild  Animals,  etc.      India  has  taken  ambitious  targets  in  support  of  global environmental   goals  as    evidenced  in  its  Nationally  Determined  Contributions  for  combating Climate  Change  under  the  Paris  Agreement,  ratification  of  the  Kigali  Amendment  to  the Montreal Protocol for phase down of Hydrofluorocarbons, restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded  land  by  2030  under  the  United  Nations  Convention  to  Combat  Desertification  and conserving  30%  of  land  and  oceans  by  2030.    India  engaged  constructively  with  all  member states  in  the  fifth  United  Nations  Environment  Assembly  (UNEA  5.2)  in  2022  to  develop consensus on the resolution for driving global action on plastic pollution.

India  has  also  hosted  the  Conference  of  Parties  to  the  United  Nations  Convention  to  Combat Desertification  in  2019  and  Convention  on  the  Conservation  of    Migratory  Species  of  Wild Animals  in 2020.

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