APP provides huge
opportunities for
India-US
collaboration
-James L. Connaughton,

James L. Connaughton, the White House Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, who led a delegation of senior US government officials to India recently, said the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP) and other crucial issues concerning energy and environment provided huge opportunities for the US and India to cooperate and collaborate.
Meeting members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) over breakfast where Connaughton shared his environmental concerns with the hosts, he said, the US would be spending $ 50 billion on air pollution control and $600 billion on water infrastructure in the next few years and this would provide a two-way opportunity for Indian and US firms to join hands.
Connaughton and his delegation visited New Delhi and held a series of meetings with their counterparts in the Indian government on energy security and environment. The delegation's visit was part of the historic agreements and initiatives that both President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived at in March 2006.
Besides meeting the senior Indian government officials, the U.S. delegation held discussions with political leaders and representatives of Indian industry. These meetings highlighted the efforts of both the US and India to achieve the goals of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP), a six-country partnership to promote economic growth and energy security through energy efficient technologies.
Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion on "Private Sector Engagement in APP on Clean Development and Climate and Methane-to-Markets Partnership" organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Connaughton said, "This results-oriented partnership will allow our nations to develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner and more energy efficient technologies to meet national pollution reduction, energy security and climate change concerns in ways that reduce poverty and promote economic development.” The meeting would provide an opportunity for Indian companies to learn about project opportunities under APP.
The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate was launched in July 2005 among China, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Japan, the United States and India. This partnership focuses on voluntary practical measures to create new investment opportunities, build local capacity, and remove barriers to the introduction of clean, more efficient technologies. The partnership will help each country meet nationally designed strategies for improving energy security, reducing pollution, and addressing the long-term challenge of climate change.
Connaughton and his delegation met with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora, Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, Minister of State for Commerce, Ashwani Kumar, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and leading members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Connaughton's visit to India came at an appropriate time when the country is making efforts to emerge as a major hub of greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects with companies across different industrial sectors lining up more than 300 projects,
Connaughton's visit to India is expected to give a boost to the recently launched Asia Pacific Partnership (APP) on Clean Development and Climate.
A new avenue for projects with greenhouse gas reduction potential is opening up under the APP on Clean Development and Climate a partnership among six countries that is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy security.
Indian industry can benefit from these partnerships through ongoing and future projects that aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and take advantage of clean technology transfer among the six partner countries, says the chamber.
The APP would promote projects in eight sectors cleaner fuel, steel, cement, aluminium, power generation and transmission, renewable energy, mining, buildings and appliances. It is envisaged as a government-industry partnership initiative.



The world has seen the emergence of a huge carbon market in the last few years, propelled by the Kyoto Protocol. India has emerged as the largest market for greenhouse gas emissions reductions with Indian companies across different industrial sectors coming up with projects. There are more than 300 projects in the pipeline.
While this is all attributable to the clean development mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, a new avenue for projects with greenhouse gas reduction potential is opening up under the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) on clean development and climate, a partnership among 6 countries that is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy security. The APP is consistent with and complements the Kyoto Protocol.
While the Indian carbon market took some time to evolve, its maturity at present lends an optimistic picture for the APP to take off in India, as Indian companies are geared up and are actively pursuing projects that have a greenhouse gas reduction potential.
The APP would promote projects in 8 key sectors cleaner fuel, steel, cement, aluminium, power generation and transmission, renewable energy, mining, buildings and appliances. It is envisaged as a government industry partnership initiative.
The APP is aimed at developing, deploying and transferring cleaner, more efficient technologies for pollution reduction, energy security and climate change. The APP envisages voluntary practical measures to create new investment opportunities.