05 October 2016
Delhi, India
Improving air quality in India’s cities
Researchers from IIASA and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Nagpur are developing the GAINS City model for Delhi and Kolkata in order to help urban planners assess practical policy options for controlling urban air pollution. The project, which is supported by India’s Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), has been using the model to identify the most cost-effective measures for minimizing adverse health and environmental impacts from air pollution at the same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The workshop included:
- A brief introduction by TIFAC Executive Director, Prabhat Ranjan, who also serves as the Indian Council Members for IIASA;
- A presentation by IIASA Program Director, Markus Amann on ‘Health Impacts and Policy Implications for Prevention of Air Pollution in Delhi’;
- A presentation by NEERI scientists on ‘Emission Inventory Estimation and Scenario Development for Model Development’; and
- A discussion and summary session led by Rashid Hasan, Advisor in India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
About the GAINS Model
The IIASA GAINS model is a scientific tool that has helped policymakers and researchers across the globe identify a smart mix of measures to simultaneously cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It has been implemented for numerous regions and countries around the world, most notably for Europe where it has provided key input to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and the European Union’s Clean Air Strategy among other areas.
GAINS Asia covers China, India, and South-East Asia, and currently IIASA researchers are using this model to collaborate with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, to evaluate greenhouse gas mitigation potential for India for 2020, 2030 and 2050.
IIASA Activities with India
Research collaborations between IIASA and India stretch back to the 1970s, but the relationship has recently become far more productive after India became a national member of IIASA in 2007 through TIFAC.
Multiple research collaborations with partners in India as diverse as the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) have brought new insights to the challenges that India faces. In particular, IIASA’s applied systems analysis has brought a global perspective, interdisciplinary research expertise, and policy relevance to issues ranging from the future of India’s energy system to increasing the country’s food production.
Greater collaboration with IIASA has also brought Indian researchers into contact with the institute's global network of around 2,500 active researchers and 300 research partners. These, often informal connections, along with the official projects of the India-IIASA program have resulted in over 160 joint publications since 2008. IIASA academic training programs have also been successfully building the next generation of systems analysts in India.
Reveal win-win policy interventions with GAINS-online
PUBLICATIONS
Info Sheet on IIASA Activities with India