The Only Participation From India – ‘Tork India’ To Repeat The History On The World’s Toughest Racing Circuit In UK. ‘Tork India’ Looking For Indian Sponsors To Raise Rs. 35(Aprrox 70k $) Lacs For This Championship

New Delhi, 11th May, 2010-Who said speed is not environmentally sensitive? For those who swear by their racing pulse with the bikes zipping past all speed barriers, yet concerned about the environment, this is the best time of the year, with Isle of Man in the UK calling bikers from world over to show how speed and environment can race hand in hand. Welcome to the world’s most prestigious clean emissions race -TTXGP UK championship 2010 and TT Zero, on 9th June 2010. In India we too can look forward to have a tab on this event, as the sole entry from the country is Tork India –the cleanest racing team that lapped third position in the first ever conducted TTXGP last year – a feat that India could surely feel proud of. Tork India is the only entrant from India.

Tork India – a band of brothers from Pune University, has it all to improvise amidst challenges, having crafted their own chassis for the T001X(First Prototype) and imported motor and batteries and controllers for their green bike which reached top Speed upto 160kmph, the team has the mission well laid out – “to bring on the green revolution so that the coming generation do not have to suffer from the smoke that bellows from the bikes we ride n enjoy…..”

With Kapil Shelke as the Team Leader and Head System Design, the team Tork India has Chandrakant Shelke as the Chief Technical Officer, Krunal Nanavati as Team Manager, Ajit Jain as Chief Mechanical Head and Nishant Kalbhor, Electrical and IT Technician. This band of racing brothers made India proud at TTXGP in 2009 when they thunderously claimed the third position in this pulsating racing track of Isle of Man.This season, the Tork Team is all set to repeat the history in even a better way with their second prototype of electric superbike T002X all 90% percent new from the previous  version and top speed upto 230kmph.

However, working towards the second version of the racing e-bike has been not so easy. With the limited sponsorship, the road to the world’s much awaited zero emission Grand Prix for these budding national heroes. Kapil Shelke, the Team Leader and Head System Design said, “We are a bit of petrol-heads but we love our environment too, been crazy about speed does not mean being irresponsible, so we came up with an idea of ourselves building a sports motorcycle that has both speed and caring for environment. There were several challenges we couldn’t find an electrical system and chassis manufacturer. Hence, we designed our own chassis, electrical system with our second version of prototype ready for the big day.”

Sponsorship and funds remain the biggest challenge the Tork Team, with the current sponsors including Agni Motors (Champion team of TTXGP 2009) and Indian Engineering firm Tirupati Engineers, the team has a head start on the championship bid, but as Kapil says, “We need more support in terms of the financials. We need to pool in Rs. 35 Lac to make it to the second season. We are sure to make India proud once again and we are in dire need for sponsors.” The team is indeed confident to race to excel in the e-bike Grand Prix and their sponsors can surely look for huge returns for their investment.

TORK India uses high efficiency brush D.C motor of 16 KW. The motor gives up to   93 % efficiency and it maintains high efficiency over a wide range of loads and speeds. Motor produces 30 Nm torque which gives the rider a feeling of adrenaline rush.

Way back in school, I heard a boy say the following words in the morning assembly, “Apples fell down like always, only Newton asked Why”. Of course, he discovered Gravity and hence disillusioned our ideas of becoming Superman and saving the Earth. Yet, to counter him humans used their brains to create airplanes and spaceships! But that is a separate story. While Newton did wonders by asking ‘Why’, the human race today is already aware of the ‘Why’ behind Climate Change.

And, hence, simply stopping at ‘Why’ won’t serve any purpose. Rudyard Kipling wrote some very beautiful lines:

We know What Climate Change is. We know Why it is being caused. We know since when it has been affecting us (especially in the last few decades). We know Where it is occurring (On our Mother Earth). We know who is causing it! (Us!) But WE also need to find the HOW of stopping it. Reversing its alarming effects.

Our efforts here at Chemozale 2010 (at Institute of Technology, Nirma University, Ahmedabad) transcend beyond the fact that we are students. We call ourselves Nature’s Advocates. A growing group of intellectually stimulated, purposefully driven individuals who are both trying to understand the complexity and also trying to find answers in our own big and small ways.

Chemozale 2010 Official Poster

Curiosity is one of the best teachers and we learned that while hosting Chemozale 2010 (The event’s eleventh edition), we should also address the pollution we would be causing. And, hence, our efforts are directed at not only not compromising the event quality but also offsetting all negative effects on the environment it will cause.

Hence, in addition to our Paper Drive (which is growing stronger and is getting increasing support from the people of Ahmedabad) that will provide 100 page used-A4 notebooks to public school students, the event will witness widespread planting of trees based on the evaluated Carbon emissions. Data for the quality and species of trees to be planted based on the agro-climatic conditions of Gujarat has been kindly granted to us by the Director of Research at Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, S. K. Nagar (Gujarat) and we are thankful to them for it.

We are in the process of finalizing the species to be chosen that will be planted in a mass campaign during the event to show Mother Earth our care and utmost concern.

The workshops on Climate Leadership Training and COP-15 (i.e. interaction with Copenhagen delegates) in association with Indian Youth Climate Network and 350.org is directed to help participants grab both the scientific and socio-political side of it. Where as, workshops on the Solar Cells is designed to bridge the gap between renewable sources and students (who can learn about it first hand and go on to adopt it in their roles as future leaders worldwide).

It comes as a surprise that the exhibition EnvironTech ‘10, a very bold effort, has been taken on by a student body, but due to our strong team and association with EnvironXChange.com, the exhibition is going to be an eye-opener for hundreds of people (both for delegates across India and the public of Ahmedabad and around).

In our own way, we are trying to walk of the talk of our theme which we whole-heartedly believe in: GO GREEN or DIE YOUNG!

These were a few HOWs that we have begun with at Chemozale 2010 and hope to see everyone take this mission forward and extend it in their personal/professional lives in all ways possible. Changing from a light bulb to a CFL is not a very tedious job! A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a small step. Chemozale 2010, we hope, is a giant leap to begin with and thn accelerate.

Advocating for Nature is every human’s birthright. Make full use of it! Attend Chemozale 2010 here.

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?“

-William H Davies wrote these very famous lines, perhaps keeping in mind the inability of men to appreciate Nature. It is a fact that in today’s fast-paced life we often forget to stand and stare at Nature and appreciate its beauty. Well… these words sounds clichéd, don’t they? Perhaps yes, because these are pretty oft-repeated worries that we have been reading on for years now. But how many of us really think about it and more importantly, do something about it? Nature is a wonderful blessing given to us by God. But it is really sad to find that nowadays Nature has become a topic for discussion and debates rather than a thing to enjoy and cherish.

To begin with, we see the newspapers and news bulletins flooded with alarming reports on changes in Nature. Today, even the most ignorant person on the planet would still understand the gravity of these two words – Global Warming. And rightly so, because the effects of global warming have already begun to reach us. The climate change and holes in Ozone layer are only a few glimpses of the bigger blow which is going to strike us. And if we are to escape this gruesome reality, then something has to be done and it has to be done NOW! And so it is about time we stop passing the buck and start acting.

Conservation of Nature is indeed the need of the hour. It may may sound an uphill task but it is certainly not impossible. I have always felt that preserving Nature and working for a “greener” tomorrow is not that difficult at all, especially if we start adopting the principle of ‘Charity begins at home.’ Yes! if each one of us start doing our bit, then this massive mission of saving our enviornment will not be difficult to combat. A small initiative is all that is required. It could be as simple a thing as switching off the lights when not in use or using recycled paper – every effort counts. And if we look at the benefits that we are going to reap out of our such small efforts then it is no big deal at all, right?

So let us all join hands and pledge not to make this a lost cause. Let Nature get back its lost glory. And let us feel proud for doing our bit in saving the beauty of this beautiful world that we live in. . .

The sheer impact of our ‘Paper Drive’ at the Chemical Engineering Department (Nirma University) has been stupendous! The city of Ahmedabad has been very generous in supporting our endeavour to save trees when our efforts were documented on the frontpage of ‘Ahmedabad Mirror’ (a daily from The Times of India group).

The focus of our campaign towards waste paper is simple: Reusing papers in all forms possible. Usually, corporates and academia paper work is a one-side printout of A4 size. Imagine the sheer magnitude of blank space wasted on the pages which ultimately end up in the waste bin or the basement from where it is sold in bulk to the kabaadiwala!

So, we thought why not collect them and create one-sided 100 page notebooks and distribute them amongst the needy students? This small yet novel idea gripped all our Chemical Engineering students, especially the freshmen/first years, and we began searching for places where we could begin with. First stop: Our own department!

About 40000+ pages were obtained from our department only! Dividing this with the figure of 100, we get 400 notebooks! ‘Ahmedabad Mirror’ recognized our endeavour by giving it a front page treatment. In addition, we were also able to make this movement known to the whole city of Ahmedabad and opened collection centres across, including the Times of India office on Ashram Road.

The people of Ahmedabad thronged to deposit whatever waste paper they had and on day One post-publication, we got a deposit of around 5000+ pages. This figure has escalated and we hope to make this campaign a grand success by extending it to our Institute and other institutes/firms.

In addition, we are holding a Painting Competition in different municipal schools across Ahmedabad and the one adjudged best will be the cover page of our notebooks. No better way to acknowledge the inherent talent in children than giving their art the recognition it deserves, in our case, the front page of notebooks to be seen by all.

We hope to make a small difference in this big world in our own way. And also tell the world, that efforts, big or small, don’t go unwarranted. Instead, as in our case, it caters momentum like a ball of snow going down the mountain gathering more snow and then finally taking the shape of a huge revolution that can change the world.

3-Day Climate Convention Will See Release Of A White Paper On The Roadmap To Mexico

The first major gathering of world leaders and climate change experts after the Copenhagen convention will take place in New Delhi from February 5 to 7.

The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2010, while establishing India’s role as a serious world partner on the subject of climate change, will also see the release of a white paper on the roadmap to Mexico, where the 16th Conference of Parties (CoP) will be held in December 2010.

Building on the Copenhagen Accord that ended on an unsettled note in December 2009, world leaders, CEOs and the scientist community will meet at the three-day event to take stock of the achievements of the accord, what remains to be done and the manner in which the process must be taken forward in an ambitious, inclusive and progressive manner.

Among other things, DSDS will also witness sessions on how a “legally binding agreement” is essential for enforcing enhanced international action on climate change. At the same time, this discussion will also determine how such a document can potentially reinstate mutual trust and confidence of the stakeholder nations in the UN process and among one another.

Aside from climate change experts and intelligentsia from across the world, DSDS will see a large turnover of world leaders and CEOs, pledging their support to the green cause. Delhi Sustainable Development Summit will be preceded by the world CEO forum, to be held on February 4, where over 100 head honchos from across the globe will discuss the role of the business sector in transforming the world economy and their stake in sustainable development.
The event will also mark the launch of the Vision 2050 project by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Initiated by 29 members of the WBCSD, the vision document will enumerate the challenges and opportunities faced, along with answers to how the business sector will lead the world in the area of sustainable development.
DSDS will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while other world leaders attending DSDS will include Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg, Greek PM George Papandreou and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, among others.

As part of the debate on sustainable development, the issue of climate change, on which the Indian government has worked actively, will also remain a key topic. In this regard, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Rajendra Pachauri, chief of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh will also make their submissions.

While sustainable development and climate change will be among the subjects discussed through the event, some of the other themes that will be key to DSDS 2010 are emphasising on integrating climate objectives with development policies, enhancing fund-inflow into these areas and creating better access to technology in the fields of development.

What started as a silver jubilee celebration event of TERI, has today become an annual feature that encourages debate on some of the most crucial environmental challenges being faced by the humankind. Commemorating its 10th year in 2010, DSDS is today a prominent forum dealing with various aspects of sustainable development across the world. Dr RK Pachauri, Director General, The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) talks about its journey so far

How did the idea of organising Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) come about 10 years back?

The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) was the outcome of TERI celebrating 25 years of its formal existence in 2000. On that occasion the institute was able to attract some prominent leaders and decision makers as well as thought leaders from all over the world including persons like the late Robert McNamara and Nobel Prize winners like Prof Sherwood Rowland. This was an unusual gathering which focused on the challenges of sustainable development for humanity, and the staff of TERI felt that given the growing importance of sustainability in developmental activities, an annual series of conferences should be launched in this area. Thus began the DSDS, which has now evolved and grown into the most prominent forum dealing with various aspects of sustainable development across the world.

This is the 10th year of DSDS. So far, how has been the journey and how has it brought in the desired change. Please elaborate.

This journey from the year 2001 to 2010 has been one that is marked with continuous innovation in the format and focus of the summit. But what is particularly heartening is the fact that people travel from all corners of the globe to come here and learn about crucial themes that affect the future of society, and of course Indian decision makers are also exposed to all that is presented and discussed at each summit. It would not be an exaggeration to claim that the objectives of sustainable development have entered on the radar screen of Indian decision makers to a great extent on account of DSDS as an annual forum.

What issues will be the focal points for DSDS this year?

The theme for DSDS this year is ‘Beyond Copenhagen: New Pathways to Sustainable Development’. Given the impasse in global negotiations that the world is witnessing today, several crucial issues would need to be debated. These include the need for focusing on the underlying science of climate change, which must drive decisions and policies with a sense of urgency.

Secondly, DSDS 2010 will deal with the business case for action as well as for civil society to mobilise grassroots developments. In a democracy, in particular, it is essential for policymakers to be inspired and led by grassroots programmes and activities. A large number of ministers would be taking part in DSDS 2010 and an entire session at the ministerial level would focus on the theme of developing a distinctly different energy future for the world.

Do you think that the presence of corporates, dignitaries and opinion makers from all across the world in this summit will give a stronger voice and recognition to key environmental issues?

What gives DSDS its strength is the fact that all stakeholders are represented at the highest level, which would ensure that environmental issues and sustainability become a subject that all sections of society have a deep commitment to, because they all have stakes in effectively addressing climate issues and concerns. DSDS 2010 would largely look at means by which a roadmap could be developed for the world to enter into a strong agreement at the next COP to be held at the end of 2010 in Mexico City. But, more importantly, this summit would define actions that have to be taken in various sectors of the economy by all stakeholders.

Post-Copenhagen, environment issues have caught the attention of people the world over. What does this summit plan to achieve out of DSDS-2010?

One major objective of the summit, which has driven its design this year, is to inspire governments, businesses, and civil society to take action on their own, which in itself will bring about desirable outcomes, but at the same time help in satisfactory multilateral agreements being reached through the process of negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Coming as it does after the Copenhagen summit this high profile and powerful forum should create momentum by which the overall objectives of sustainable development and meeting the challenge of climate change will receive new momentum and intellectual power at the global level.



If we have to mitigate emissions in the future to arrive at a stable climate, then it would be essential to change the pattern of development itself, which brings about a shift away from the consumption of fossil fuels through efficiency improvements and much greater use of low carbon technologies. This is the broad framework that needs to be addressed

The Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (CoP) which concluded in December 2009 threw up some immediate tasks for attention and implementation by the global community. But more importantly it also raises certain issues which are almost concealed and deal with the entire process and structure of economic development across the globe. Human induced climate change has been caused essentially by the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the earth’s atmosphere, which have grown rapidly since industrialization. Overall, therefore, this has led to changes in the earth’s climate, the scientific reasons for which are unequivocal. However, emissions of these GHGs originate in a range of economic activities that are very much a part of the current process of growth and development.

If we have to look at the future and ensure a stable climate, which is required by all species living on this planet, then while we have to deal with the immediate task of getting a binding agreement for all the countries of the world by the time the next CoP takes place in Mexico City at the end of the year, but also focus on the underlying factors which have created a system which locks us into an emissions intensive path of development.

If we have to mitigate emissions in the future to arrive at a stable climate, then it would be essential to change the pattern of development itself, which brings about a shift away from the consumption of fossil fuels through efficiency improvements and much greater use of low carbon technologies. This is the broad framework that needs to be addressed effectively by global society.

Another aspect of sustainable development relates to the impacts of climate change. It is now well established that the most vulnerable regions of the world, which would be affected by the impacts of climate change, would be those that have a large percentage of poor among them. In these societies early warning systems, appropriate services and infrastructure to those who are affected remain largely deficient, as a result of which the impacts are likely to be very serious for communities located in these places.

Since there is considerable inertia in the system that is bringing about climate change, it would be essential for the global community to ensure adequate resources and efforts directed at adaptation measures. There is need to understand what the impacts of climate change are likely to be, and then suitable adaptation measures taken in hand to counter them. This also is an important part of meeting the objectives of sustainable development, because if communities do not have the capacity or ability to deal with the growing impacts of climate change, their development is not only likely to suffer in terms of low rates of economic growth, but an actual regression in their living conditions as a result of problems such as growing water stress, low yields in agriculture and the threat of sea level rise.

In essence, as the world moves towards picking up the pieces from Copenhagen, it would be extremely useful to see that the overall context of sustainability in development policies is not lost sight of. Thought leaders and those responsible for organizations across the world including governments, business and civil society would need to ensure that while devising the steps beyond Copenhagen we keep in mind the critical need for looking at the broader challenge of moving human society towards a path of sustainable development.

—Dr Pachauri is Director-General, The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI); Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); and Director, Yale Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI)

Mainstreaming Climate Policies with Development
With an aim to have a categorical understanding on ways to enhance the areas of convergence between climate concerns and development policies as well as means to minimize the divergence between the two, this session will provide a platform to share relevant experiences, ideas and proposals from a wide range of actors.

Climate Challenges in Africa
This session will discuss issues including the prioritization of challenges, needs for institutional mechanisms and nature of international support therein, adequacy of existing options and scope of improvement, the scale of resources required at the national and subnational level to assist adaptation and mitigation efforts in Africa, and to facilitate longterm cooperative action among nations within and outside Africa to address identified climate challenges.

Discussion on White Paper on Roadmap to Mexico
The Copenhagen outcome has introduced new debates in the international climate regime besides the existing burning issues being deliberated upon since Bali. The session will deliberate upon the new circumstances, which are expected to culminate in a white paper on the “road map to Mexico”. The paper will bring forth the elements and issues under negotiations and ways to bring back trust and confidence of various Parties in UN process.

Enhancing Financial Flows and Technology Access
Given the centrality of access to technology and availability of resources to climate strategy at global as well as national level, combined with an evident concentration of resources and technologies in advanced economies, the question of enhancing financial flows and technology access is unavoidable. In this context, the challenge is not only in terms of designing mechanisms to enhance technological and financial flows between countries, it also includes the issues of magnitude and sources of resource mobilization (public & private), prioritization of developmental goals (technology road maps for mitigation and adaptation in context of development concerns), absorption capacity (capacity building), accountability and transparency in investment and policy decisions (monitoring, reporting and verification), nature and extent of international cooperation and sustainability of efforts and so on. This session would deliberate on these questions.

The Urgency of Sustainability in Business
This session would deliberate on the need and ways to immediately deepen sustainable outlook in business, its economic feasibility, associated risks and benefits, preparedness of business community, competitive environments and cooperative strategies, related policy infrastructure etc. The session will share experiences, initiatives and ideas and deliver guidelines to develop a blue-print of a strategy to make business more sustainable without compromising on economic viability.

Ministerial Session – Creating a New Energy Future
Considering that most of the countries are interdependent for their energy requirements, energy sector at international level is very much a question of international cooperation. There is a need to visualize a transformation pathway for energy sector at national as well as global level. This session would deliberate on questions concerning such transformation including development, demonstration, transfer and deployment of technologies, mobilization of skills and resources, technology and investment choices, policy innovations, international cooperation, etc.

Mobilizing Civil Society
Climate change talks are garnering increased public attention with civil society being at forefront. This session aims at initiating discussions on mobilizing the vital role of civil society in deepening public understanding of the challenge and suggesting the possible directions for the design and development of climate change regime, thereby highlighting how effective civil society participation could facilitate an informed decision making process.

Mobilizing Knowledge and Knowledge Institution
This session aims to conceptualize a blue print for policy on knowledge generation and strategy for knowledge institutions in new contexts. The deliberations during the session will span over a range of issues including knowledge management through synthesis, sharing, and improvement of knowledge in the field of climate change, development of knowledge networks, consortiums, North-South and South-South collaborations, sharing of best practices, state-academia-industry linkages etc.

Building on the Copenhagen Accord
The outcome of CoP15 resulted in the Copenhagen Accord that has drawn mixed reactions. The very legality of Copenhagen Accord has been debated. It is therefore pertinent to take stock of what has been achieved by the Accord and what still remains to be done to ensure that the process can be taken forward in a manner that is ambitious, inclusive and progressive. The session will deliberate on the shape of future negotiating process, importance of being proactive in identifying the unseen blockades towards Mexico and means to incorporate such factors to ensure that the intensity of negotiations is maintained.

Lifestyles session
The session focuses on the challenges like increased consumerism, lifestyle choices that conflict with sustainable development requirements, and so on. The session also aims to stimulate discussions on the role of youth icons, social campaigns, media, art, culture etc. in bringing about a pragmatic shift in people’s perception.

Why do we need a legally binding agreement?
The outcome at Copenhagen identified the need for a legally binding agreement to steer ahead the climate regime. The session focuses on two elements of this necessity: one, how a “legally binding agreement” is essential for enforcing enhanced international action on climate change; and, two, relatedly, how a “legally binding agreement” can potentially reinstate mutual trust and confidence of all stakeholders not only in the UN process but also amongst each other. Importantly, the session aims to generate insights to efforts that can lead to a “legally binding agreement”.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the Indian government fully backed R K Pachauri, the beleaguered chairman of UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Even as he took potshots at the weakness of the global climate science panel over the recent controversial revelations, Ramesh said the government supported Pachauri’s continuation as IPCC head.

Ramesh, at the same time, announced that a scientist from India would now accompany Pachauri in his meetings of the bureau of the IPCC — the smaller set of 38 representatives that carry on the work on behalf of the 130-member country body. Subodh Kumar Sharma, advisor to the ministry and a long-standing participant in the climate science talks, is expected to represent India in the IPCC bureau meetings.

Ramesh said, “The Indian government is backing Pachauri to the hilt. Let there be no doubt on that. There is no wavering in the support of the Indian government. The PM and others in the government are supporting him as chairman of IPCC.” India provides financial help to the scientific panel to run Pachauri’s IPCC support office in India. It provides an annual grant for support staff and other functions of the office, which Ramesh justified with precedents of earlier chairmen of the scientific panel being financially backed by governments as well as the World Bank.

But the tenuous relations between Pachauri and the government again

Minister of new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah with actor Shilpa Shetty at the inauguration of International Climate Change Exhibition, organized by TERI in New Delhi

came to the fore with sources indicating that the latter was not likely to participate in a closed door meeting of a select group of international negotiators that TERI will host as part of its Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. The idea of a closeddoor meet of official negotiators from rich countries and others, to be also attended by the UN climate convention’s exectuive secretary Evo De Boer, has not gone down well with the government. Environment ministry officials refused to comment while TERI officials remained unavailable.

At the same time, Ramesh, who had minced no words in criticising Pachauri and the conclusions of IPCC on the rate of melting of Himalayan glaciers, was relatively easy on both on Thursday during his interaction with the media. Even while warning against ‘climate evangelism’ he backed the IPCC, calling it a respected institution.

New Delhi: Water may not be the point of entry into the debate on climate change but that it is at the heart of the issue was widely accepted at the World CEO Forum held during the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2010.

Acknowledging the subject as an important part of climate change, water resources minister P K Bansal said, “The reducing per capita availability of water and the poor maintenance of existing facilities are just some of the concerns we are faced with in the Indian region.”

Launching the Regional Knowledge Hub for Water and Climate Change Adaptation in South Asia at The Energy and Research Institute (TERI), Bansal emphasised the centrality of water to economic growth and life. Voicing concern about depleting water reserves and emphasising the urgency of efficiency in water management, Bansal added that while India fed 17% of the world’s population, it had access to only 4% of the world’s water reserves.

While Bansal took up cause of water management in India and its neighbouring regions, other issues discussed at the CEO forum ranged from creating a vision document for sustainable development and pushing the agenda of building a green economy. On Friday, the climate change debate will continue, with PM Manmohan Singh and heads of states from countries across the world gathering at DSDS to discuss strategies in this regard.

On February 6, a parallel, in-camera session will be held between the heads of state.