Lok Sabha Question No. 135 (STARRED), answered on 2016-05-03
Subject: Carbon Trading
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BHARAT SINGH, VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *135

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.05.2016

## Carbon Trading

## *135.   SHRI BHARAT SINGH: SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK

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

- (a) the policy guidelines formulated by the Government in respect of Carbon Trading;
- (b) whether the Government has set any target in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  and  ensure  access  of  common people to Carbon Trading;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  study  regarding  the  adverse  impact  of carbon and green house gas emission on glaciers and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## Statement  referred  to  in  reply  to  Part  (a)  to  (e)  of  Lok  Sabha  Starred Question  No.  †*135  by  Shri  Bharat  Singh  and  Shri  Vijay  Kumar  Hansdak regarding Carbon Trading

- (a) to  (c):  Under  the  Kyoto  Protocol  of  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate Change  (UNFCCC),  the  Clean  Development  Mechanism  (CDM)  has  been  established  under which entities from developed countries can develop emission-reducing projects in developing countries,  and  generate  tradable  credits  corresponding  to  the  volume  of  emission  reductions achieved  by  that  project  in  the  form  of  Certified  Emission  Reduction  (CER).  Under  the modalities and procedures of CDM, participation in CDM is voluntary in nature and any legal entity (private/public/NGO/individual etc)   can participate in developing projects under CDM. Therefore, no targets are set under the scheme.

To  support India's active  participating  in  Clean  Development  Mechanism  (CDM),  the Government  of  India  has  set  up  the  National  Clean  Development  Mechanism  Authority (NCDMA)  for  according  Host  Country  Approval  (HCA)  to  eligible  CDM  projects  in  the country. As on date, the NCDMA has accorded HCA to 2978 CDM projects out of which 1614 projects has been successfully registered with the CDM Executive Board under UNFCCC.

Further,  the  Government  in  collaboration  with  the  industry  associations,  project  proponents bilateral  and  multi-lateral  funding  agencies  had  undertaken  several  workshops,  seminars  and business  conclave  and  other  activities  to  build  capacity  to  implement  such  projects  in  the country.  In  the  process,  CDM  Tool  Kits  was  also  prepared  and  provided  to  stakeholders  to promote CDM activities in the country.

The  CDM  under  the  Kyoto  Protocol  would  continue  till  2020  and  thereafter  the  Market Mechanism  established  under  the  Paris  Agreement  to  promote  International  cooperation  for Mitigation of Greenhouse gases and sustainable developments (like CDM under Kyoto Protocol) would continue with the following aims:

- promote the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development;
- incentivize  and  facilitate  participation  in  the  mitigation  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by public and private entities authorized by a Party;
- contribute  to  the  reduction  of  emission  levels  in  the  host  Party  for  the    benefit  from mitigation activities resulting in emission reductions that can also be used by another Party to fulfil its nationally determined contribution; and
- deliver an overall mitigation in global emissions.

(d) Under the Himalayan Glaciological Programme sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, studies related to mass balance, hydro-meteorology, glacier dynamics, glacier length/area changes and climate studies of the Himalayan glaciers are being carried  out.  In  this  direction,  a  Centre  for  Glaciology  has  been  set  up  at  Wadia  Institute  of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.

In a collaborative project Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and lndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have carried out mapping of Himalayan glaciers covering lndus, Ganga and Brahmaputra basins using lndian satellite data between 2004 and 2011. The study shows  that  there  are  34,919  glaciers  spread  over  75,779  sq.  km.  glaciated  area  in  the  entire Himalayas.  Further,  ISRO  has  monitored  the  advance  and  retreat  of  2018  glaciers  across  the Himalayan region using satellite data of 2000-2001 and 2010-2011. The study revealed that 1752 glaciers showed no change, 248 glaciers were retreating and 18 glaciers were advancing.

(e)The  National  Mission  for  Sustaining  the  Himalayan  Ecosystem  (NMSHE)  under  National Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change  (NAPCC)  encompasses  conservation  measures  for  sustaining and safeguarding the Himalayan glaciers and mountain ecosystems through (i) establishment of monitoring  network  (ii)  promotion  of  community  based  management  (iii)  human  resource development  and  (iv)  strengthening  regional  cooperation.  Major  initiatives  under  NMSHE include  creation  of  four  Thematic  Task  Forces  on  (i)  Himalayan  Agriculture  (ii)Traditional Knowledge  systems  (iii)  Forest  Resources  and  Plant  Diversity  and  (iv)  Fauna  and  Wildlife Habitats.  It  also  includes  networking  of  related  institutions  for  focused  research  in  different themes of Himalayan ecosystem. Different programmes have been initiated for training in the field  of  glaciology,  awareness  programmes  for  community  based  organizations  and  officials related to the Indian Himalayan Region. Also, the State Climate Change Centres have been set up  in  the  seven  Himalayan  states,  namely  (i)  Jammu  and  Kashmir  (ii)  Himachal  Pradesh  (iii) Manipur (iv) Mizoram (v) Tripura (vi) Sikkim and (vii) Meghalaya.

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