Greenhouse gas emissions in Railways cut by 25% in 2017-18: Principal Executive Director, Railway Board

Dec 11, 2019

 

MADRID, 11 December 2019: Mr Alok Tewari, Principal Executive Director, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, yesterday said that Indian railways has achieved 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to 2017-18 figures.

 

Speaking at the 'Green Railway Infrastructure and Implications of Sustainable Mobility Ecosystem in Climate Action' organized by FICCI, jointly with the Ministry of Railways during UNFCCC COP 25 in Madrid, Mr Tewari pointed out that this feat by Indian railways assumes significance in the context of India's NDC target of 33-35% reduction of emission intensity by 2030.

 

Mr Upendra Tripathy, Director General, International Solar Alliance, mentioned that energy storage cost will come down to less than $100 per kWh in the near future.

 

Mr Kolluru Krishan, Chair, FICCI Climate Change Committee, and Chairman, CVC India Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, said that sustainable mobility programs need to be technology agnostic and avoid being city-centric. He also emphasized on the fact that social and economic aspects are key components of transportation sustainability in developing economies having as much significance as environmental and ecological factors.

 

Dr Kirit Parikh, Chairman, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), and former Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, mentioned that modes of mass transit, like the Metro, play a critical role in sustainable mobility.

 

Mr Vijay Garg, Executive Director, Ministry of Railways, emphasized on the green rating system to mainstream sustainability in the sector.

 

Prof Amit Garg, IIM-Ahmedabad, highlighted the fact that it is important for the power sector to become green before, or along with, the greening of the transport sector for holistic development.

 

Ms Heather Thompson, CEO, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP); Mr Nicolas Beaumont, Senior Vice President, Michelin Group; and Mr Pierre Cannet, Co-director of Programs, WWF France shared global examples. Ms Thompson shared different city-level examples of implementing sustainable mobility solutions effectively, Mr Beaumont and Mr Cannet highlighted the India roadmap that is being led by FICCI as an important initiative and emphasized on increased community level engagement to draw out effective low carbon and sustainable mobility solutions.