NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday cautioned against compartmentalised thinking among various ministries concerned with climate change and suggested an integrated approach to capacity building in this sector.
Chairing a meeting of the National Council on Climate Change to give shape to the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change – one of the eight missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change – Dr. Singh said it was important to develop skills, knowledge and capacities in the science of climate change.
Dr. Singh said it was necessary to have the ability to prepare and read scientific data related to climate change since India was engaging itself with the global community on this issue.
The meeting emphasised the importance of building a vibrant and dynamic knowledge system for effectively promoting ecologically sustainable development with the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge working as a service mission of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
The Mission will network existing knowledge institutions for exchange and sharing of data, building institutional and human capacities and improving the understanding of key climate processes and climate risks.
It will also define sustainability pathways and work towards building alliances and partnerships through global pathways.
The Mission, to be served by the Ministry of Science and Technology, will seek to build synergy with the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The Ministry of Science and Technology was asked to incorporate the suggestions made by the civil society representatives, who had pointed out that the success of the Mission would hinge on a public-private partnership.
They also emphasised that the Mission should plan its strategies after reaching out to the public.
The meeting was attended by the Union Finance Minister, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Minister of State (Independent charge) Environment and Forests, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council, Chairman of the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Union Environment and Forests Secretary, Union Science and Technology Secretary, Director General of The Energy and Resources institute and other non-official members of the Council on Climate Change.
