FICCI calls for national climate change policy

NEW DELHI: Industry body FICCI has called for a comprehensive national climate change policy. In its report released Monday, FICCI-Climate Change Task Force has recommended a number of steps to address the climate change issue: making energy audits mandatory for specific industrial sectors, giving preference to energy efficient appliances in government's procurement programmes and treatment of carbon credit revenues as export earnings.

"Despite the existence of an elaborate regulatory framework for addressing climate change imperatives in India - 40-odd Acts and policies and 60 programmes and schemes across sectors - the country needs a comprehensive National Climate Change Policy, which will envisage the clear path of mitigation, adaptation and preparedness of all climate catastrophes," said former union environment secretary Prodipto Ghosh, who chaired the task force.

The task force recommended a CDM-friendly legal and regulatory framework in the country. The task force also noted that far from energy profligacy, India has highly responsible patterns of energy use.