Apart from being business honchos and philanthropists, there is one more common factor among industry leaders such as Ratan N Tata, Anand Mahindra, Rohini Nilekani, Nadir Godrej, Aditi and Rishad Premji, Vidya Shah and Hemendra Kothari-they all are concerned about the threat posed by the global warming.
This connection has brought them together to set up India Climate Collaborative (ICC), a network to solve the country’s climate crisis with the support of the local as well as international climate community.
“Our collective leadership through the ICC will indicate to the world that Indian philanthropy is ready to be a leader in climate action,” Ratan N Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, said, commenting on the launch, in a statement here.
The ICC seeks to build a collaborative platform for diverse voices, innovative solutions, and collective investments, inspiring and connect governments, businesses, impact investors, research institutions, scientists, and civil society to work together.
“Scientific research tells us that the next decade will be critical in dealing with the global climate crisis,” said Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, as per the statement. “It is clear that the world cannot continue to pursue a business-as-usual approach and nobody can solve the problem on their own… Together we will find solutions that will make climate action effective and impactful.” Nadir B Godrej, Managing Director of Godrej Industries added, “There is a lot that businesses can do, and are doing, to tackle the climate emergency at a cost that is not significantly high. Government can playa role in providing incentives and disincentives to ensure lower carbon emissions. We have to look at localised solutions that can solve global problems, and this will need businesses, governments, academia, and individuals to work together to identify and scale up solutions.”
Extreme weather events driven by climate change claimed as many as 1,659 lives across India in 2019, which ended as the seventh warmest year on record.