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“UNEP” – United Nations Environment Programme (Projects In India)

Submitted By Pranav Gupta

Division-A Roll No- 28 Class- BBA. LLB

Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA Symbiosis International University, PUNE

Feb, 2016

Under the guidance of Prof. Sai Prasad

Environment Law

Symbiosis Law School, NOIDA Symbiosis International University, Pune

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CERTIFICATE

The project entitled ‘UNEP Projects Analysis In India’ submitted to the Symbiosis

Law School, Noida for Environment law as part of Internal Assessment is based on

my original work carried out under the guidance of ‘Prof. Saiprasad. R.G.’ from

December to April. The Research work has not been submitted elsewhere for award

of any degree.

The material borrowed from other sources and incorporated in the research paper has

been duly acknowledged.

I understand that I myself would be held responsible and accountable for plagiarism,

if any, detected later on.

Pranav Gupta

Signature of the Candidate

Date: March, 14’ 2016

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to my professor for his valuable

guidance to me in making of this project. Without his guidance this work would not

have been possible.

Sir you gave me this golden opportunity to work on this wonderful project which also

helped me to do lot of research work. I came to know about a lot of new things after

doing this work.

I would also like to thank my parents and friends for their constant and silent support

for this project.

Pranav Gupta

Date: March 14’ 2016

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Index

Abstract 5

History and Significance 5

Mission 5

India’s Engagement with UNEP 6

UNEP activities in India 6

Promoting low carbon transport 8

Overall context 9

Project Overview 11

Project Approach 11

Key interventions 12

Expected result 13

Outcome of the Integrated Assessment of the Transport Sector 13

Conclusion 14

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Abstract

This Article assesses the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in terms of

its history, structure, and projects in India majorly focusing on low carbon

transformation. In the context of global environmental issues and the international

organizations set up in response, the Article explores the institutional and political

reasons for UNEP's standing to meet all expectations in India. The Article reviews

UNEP programmes and their success in India.

History and Significance1 The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global

environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the

coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development

within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the

global environment. UNEP It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director, as a

result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and

has its headquarters in the Gigiri neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP also has six

regional offices and various country offices. UNEP has aided in the formulation of

guidelines and treaties on issues such as the international trade in potentially harmful

chemicals, trans-boundary air pollution, and contamination of international

waterways.

Mission2 "To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by

inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life

without compromising that of future generations."

To promote and facilitate sound environmental management for sustainable

development, UNEP’s global and cross-sectorial outlook is reflected in its

organizational structure, its activities and is personnel.

                                                                                                               1  Mission  and  information  about  the  UNEP-­‐  http://www.unep.org/about/  2  Information-­‐  Background  of  UNEP;  Mission  and  information  about  the  UNEP-­‐  

2  Information-­‐  Background  of  UNEP;  Mission  and  information  about  the  UNEP-­‐  http://www.unep.org/about/    

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India’s Engagement With UNEP

Our country always had a constant support from UNEP and due to this, both shares a

close relation since years and consequesntly working with over various projects in

India. Ministry of Environment and forest is primarily working with UNEP for the

improvement in the climate change. India’s high commission is accredited as

permanent representative of India to UNEP for various ongoing projects. Mr. Prakash

Jawadekar, Hon’ble Minister for Environment, forest and climate change visted

various nations including Kenya, Nairobi etc for the same reason so that our nation

could achieve a better result in field of climate change.3

UNEP activities in India4 Recent India-UNEP collaboration include the following major areas :

• Solar Loan Project : Collaboration with Indian banks to finance solar lighting

projects in rural areas.

• Montreal Protocol: Implementation of the Technical Assistance component

of the CFC production sector phase out project (with the World Bank) and the

policy and customs training and awareness components of the national

refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing sector strategy.

• Atmospheric Brown Cloud: The Government of India nominated two

scientists to participate in the Science Team and steering committee meeting.

• Project Surya: To provide sustainable, pro-environment, pro-poverty, pro-

health, pro-women action plan, infrastructure and technologies to switch to

cleaner technologies such as efficient cooking stoves in rural areas. A pilot

phase of Project Surya is being implemented.

• Assessment Activities : Preparation of regular ‘State of the Environment’

Reports. A number of scientists from India are authors for Global

Environment Outlook-5, and involved in other assessments.

• CSO network : Specialized agencies, namely The Energy and Resource

                                                                                                               3  High  commission  of  India;  http://www.hcinairobi.co.ke/india-­‐unep-­‐overview.  4    Indian  High  commission  analysis  on  recent  tie-­‐up  with  UNEP;  High  commission  of  India;  http://www.hcinairobi.co.ke/india-­‐unep-­‐overview.  

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Institute (TERI), Development Alternatives (DA), and Centre for Environment

Education (CEE) have been assisting UNEP with implementation of projects

and programmes in India and South Asia.

• Awareness: UNEP launched the environmental awareness campaign ‘Batting

for the Environment’ in partnership with Indian Premier League (IPL) and

named Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador;

the 19th Commonwealth Games 2010 Organizing Committee signed a MoU

with UNEP to host a green game; Plant for the Planet : Billion Tree

Campaign.

• GEF 5 Process:

• Biodiversity: South Asia level sub-regional meeting in India to prepare for the

CBD COP 10 meeting; preparation of ABS proposal for the GEF submission;

working with National Biodiversity Authority to prepare the benefit sharing

guidelines; international consultation on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)

Protocol in Feb 2011.

• Ecosystem Services Economics: Pradesh, Indian Statistical Institute, and

Institute of Economic Growth.

• Marine and Coastal Ecosystem:

• Sustainable Consumption and Production:

• India was the global host for the World Environment Day for 2011.

• Asia-Pacific Tunza Conference :

• Collaboration with National Productivity Council

Promoting Low Carbon Transport in India This project was launched in India by united nations in the year of 2010 under the

guardianship of Mr. Jairam Ramesh(then Hon. Minister of Environment and Forests,

Government of India,)5. This project was exclusively designed to meet link the effort

to develop or enhance the transportation medium in cities and to change India’s

climate policy. This project was assembled to construct the institutional strength in

cities to enhance the mobility to lower the pollution i.e. The emission of CO2 for the

local people and establishing a smart city. Policy former from both national as well as

                                                                                                               5  UNEP  project  Details:  http://www.unep.org/transport/lowcarbon/about.asp  

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local participate in this programmed which includes the educational institutions like

IIMS, IITs and giant universities in the field of technology and management.

For this project, India received the tremendous amount of fund from the Germany

(around 2.49 millions euru) and this project is in progress in partnership with

Denmark for next 5 years. The gov. of Germany is in direct consultation with the

ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) along with MoUD coupling the local

partners IITs and IIMs etc6.

Overall Context According to a survey and statistical analysis, India is the 3rd highest green house

emitter nation in the world and stands 2nd in highest Co2 emission7. Growing

industrialization, rapid increase in transportation and huge consumption of fossil fuels

are prime reasons to noise, air and water pollution. And the unban areas are highly

affected by them. In continuance of this, to make this nation’s transportation system

more efficient and reduce pollution, India’s think tanks and policy framers are

required to go through the given data to push dawn pollution and along with that work

more towards the proper transportation. Therefore, this project highly deals with

strengthening this atmosphere by training and proper analysis of data and

methodological tools which will aid to government’s low carbon systems.

                                                                                                               6  High  commission  of  India;  http://www.hcinairobi.co.ke/india-­‐unep-­‐overview  7  Statistista;  The  largest  producers  of  CO2  emissions  worldwide  in  2015,  based  on  their  share  of  global  CO2  emissions;  http://www.statista.com/statistics/271748/the-­‐largest-­‐emitters-­‐of-­‐co2-­‐in-­‐the-­‐world.  

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Project Overview

This project exclusively targets Duo issues i.e. the promotion of low carbon transport

and at the same time it also targets the climate change at both local and national arena.

The notion of this project is to deal with the objective to set up other departments

goals like to enhance in equality, security and environment. And this ultimate reason

unites the different professionals and experts who actively work for gender equality,

environment and other social issues. This multidisciplinary vision targets to make a

proper transport planning which could rightly enhance the standards of the people

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especial the poor ones in India.

This project is working on three major cities i.e. Rajkot, Vishakhaptnam and Udaipur

and making them prepare low carbon comprehensive mobility plans (LCMPs) and

these plans are dealt with huge range and brief analytical approach.

By this data, planers come out with alternative plans and strategies to tackle the issue

of climate. The analysis of LCMPs is utilize to revise the MoUD’s default transport

plan guides for every cities of India. Cities must use the CMP i.e. comprehensive

mobility planning toolkit to access the required fund to implement this sustainable or

environment project. This toolkit is a godsend for all Indian cities in order to step

ahead from old transportation of huge carbon mobility. Workshops, researches,

exchange of idea and information etc. encourages the notion towards low carbon

mobility.

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Key Interventions8

                                                                                                               8UNEPReport;http://moud.gov.in/sites/upload_files/moud/files/pdf/CMP%20Report%20Revised.pdf      

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Expected Results

The actual objective of this project is India is twofold i.e one is of national level and

another one seeks to create environment policy to build a eco friendly transportation

system on both local and as well as on national level by improving the atmosphere

and lowering the CO2 presence in it. And the expected results are :

• A national action plan

• Tree low carbon comprehensive mobility plans

• A website to create easy share of information related to project.

Outcome of the Integrated Assessment of the Transport Sector9

The project’s integrated assessment shows that a low carbon transport transition is

possible for India. The five key wedges that deliver mitigation benefits in the

sustainable low carbon transport scenario are shown in the chart below.

• First Wedge: Electricity cleaning, including the uptake of electric vehicles

and the decarbonisation of electricity in India’s power grid.

• Second wedge : co2 reduction from implementing of stringent fuel economy

targets cosistent with he vison set under the global fuel economy initiative.

• Thrid wedge: ustainable mobility, including passenger transport initiatives

such as faster implementation of metro and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems,

along with improved integration of non-motorised transport modes, the use of

feeder buses, and a higher share of rail in intercity transport.

• Fourth Wedge: Biofuel penetration, facilitated through national policies and

enabling mechanisms, as well as carbon price.

• Fifth Wedge: Interventions in the freight transport sector through the

implementation of dedicated freight corridors, demand reduction for coal

freight, etc. Significant energy-efficiency impact is already evident in the

business-as-usual scenario and further co-benefits can be achieved in the low-

carbon scenario from air pollutant reductions.

                                                                                                               9  UNEP  project  Booklet:  http://moud.gov.in/sites/upload_files/moud/files/pdf/CMP%20Report%20Revised.pdf  

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Conclusion UNEP’s various projects along with a major step like Promoting low carbon transport

in India has done a tremendous job. It had brought dawn the CO2 emission by the use

of biofuels, electronic vehicles, fuel-efficient vehicles, more shift towards renewable

sources and promoting the use of CNG gas. Launching of Delhi Metro gave a

marvelous result in reducing the air pollution in Delhi. So the analysis of given

project clearly shows the constant attempt from UNEP to enhance the quality of

environment in India. A proper implementation and efficient functioning of said

projects would definitely fetch a better results in upcoming years.