Gandhinagar: Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation Gandhinagar, is all set to organise a mega workshop series on Climate Change called, Climate Action Now (CAN) 2020. This workshop series will be spread over three months (February, March and April 2020), 15 workshop days, and three theme-based segments namely, 1) Climate Change Policy and Governance (during February 2020), 2) Climate Action and Role of Industry (during March 2020), and 3) Climate Change Research And Technology Development (during April 2020).

Supported by IITGN’s Dr Kiran C Patel Centre for Sustainable Development, this workshop series will cover a wide range of subjects – climate science and policy, energy, water and environment, agriculture and food security, forest and biodiversity, infrastructure, health and vulnerable communities, industry, climate technologies and financing, socio-cultural issues, traditional knowledge and low consumption lifestyle, recycling and circular economy, and other allied subjects. The entire series will have more than 150 presentations.

In addition, a special one hour segment has been planned for youth and innovation on 12 days of the workshop in which post-graduate students, young researchers, young faculties and start-ups fromvarious academic institutions across India will participate. These 12 hours dedicated for youth and innovation is a remarkable component of this workshop.

CAN 2020 will be inaugurated on February 11, 2020, with a full-day workshop on the first theme-based segment on Climate Change Policy and Governance. Shri S J Haider, IAS, Principal Secretary, Climate Change Department (CCD), Government of Gujarat, will inaugurate the event in the presence of other distinguished guests such as Dr J R Bhatt, Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India; Prof Sudhir Jain, Director, IITGN; Shri R D Kamboj, Director, GEER Foundation; and Prof C N Pandey, IITGN.

The first workshop will be divided into four different sessions – 1) ‘Policy Picture on Climate Change – Global and National’; 2) ‘Environment Governance’; 3) ‘Water’; and 4) ‘Agriculture’. Many eminent experts and government officials will be on the panels to deliberate on the issues relating to climate change.

This mega workshop series will bring together representatives from three participating groups – policymakers, industry and academia. It will promote interaction among experts working on climate policy and governance, climate actions, climate mitigation and adaptation, climate science, climate research focusing on Gujarat state as well as national priorities. It also aims to shape a list of climate change and environment-related research and technology development needs through deliberations with various government departments and industries to help develop collaborative research and technology development projects in the future.