UK working with Odisha to tackle climate change: Envoy

Affirming support to Odisha in tackling climate change, the United Kingdom has said the Climate Change Innovation Programme (CCIP) undertaken in six Indian States under a 12-million pound technical assistance would ensure low-carbon and climate-resilient development in the State.“The UK has worked closely with Odisha on helping Odisha tackle climate change. Our partnership is supporting the State on low-carbon and climate-resilient development which is helping the lives and livelihood of people,” British Deputy High Commissioner Scott Furssedonn-Wood said here on Thursday.

Speaking at a high-level seminar on tackling climate change, he highlighted the UK’s support to Odisha on this important area through implementing models of low-carbon and climate-resilient development.“Just a few months ago, we launched a programme on climate change...CCIP is funded by the UK Department for International Development under 12-million pounds technical assistance and is spread across six States of India, Odisha being one of them,” Furssedonn-Wood said.

The UK looks forward to working closely with the Odisha Government over the next few years to implement this programme, he said, adding, “We have worked together to develop models for widespread use of low-carbon lighting. We have helped to develop fiscal instruments that provide the right incentives to address climate change,” said he.

Odisha is moving ahead to prepare a Climate Change Action Plan for next five years to combat the challenges of climate change, revealed ACS, Forest & Environment, UN Behera, speaking at the seminar.He said Odisha was the first State in the country to document the progress of implementations of various actions identified in the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). The SAPCC II would be implemented during 2015-2020 and the Climate Budget has been increasing since 2012-13. More funding for Climate Change Actions is being organised, said he.

Behera said a Heat Island Study in Jharsuguda, Real-Time Flood Forecasting in River Mahanadi and Municipal Solid Waste Management in Rayagada have been initiated under the Climate Change Innovation Programme (CCIP). CII and DFID assistance is helping the State in developing fiscal instruments for low-carbon industrial development and the report would be released soon.