News Nature Doesn’t Need Us, We Need Nature: NGT Chairperson.
The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and NITI Aayog on Friday (7 July) organized the National Conference on Air and Water Pollution which included multiple sessions revolving around the various facets of innovations in regulation, abatement, and monitoring air and water pollution.
"Nature doesn’t need us, we need nature", said Kumar, further adding that there is "a need for incentive based implementation of environmental law".
"The NGT has always involved government consultation to structurally solve environmental problems", said Kumar, citing the case of Yamuna river as an example.
In a very simple form, this requires enforcing an absolute technology-based or performance-based standard with severe penalties upon non-compliance.
Subramanian spoke about issues of governance, and questioned who should be attributed responsibility for Delhi’s pollution.
Mehta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change spoke about how "information can lead to behavioural change", while Kate Logan, Green Choice Outreach Director, Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, China spoke about her experience in China in mapping out pollution.
"There needs to be continuous monitoring from a reliable source, public awareness campaigns and data management to understand the source of pollution better", said Sarath Guttikunda, Co-director, UrbanEmissions, while VM Motghare, Joint Director (Air), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board spoke about the experience in Maharashtra and the role information plays in abatement of air and water pollution there.
This was followed by sessions on legal framework, monitoring and enforcement and market-based regulations, successes and challenges.
The speakers included Shibani Ghosh (Fellow, Centre for Policy Research), Keshav Chandra (Environment Secretary, Government of Delhi), Shruti Bhardwaj (Joint Director, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), Mark Templeton (Associate Clinical Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School), Cynthia Giles (Former Assistant Administrator for Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, US EPA), Akhila Swar (Senior Environmental Engineer OSPCB), Chirag Bhimani (Deputy Environmental Engineer, GPCB), Chandra Bhushan (Deputy Director General, CSE), Nathaniel Keohne (Vice President, Global Climate, Environmental Defense Fund) and Anant Sudarshan (India Director, EPIC).