The Government of Assam is conducting state level celebrations on 16 September 2026, to mark the International Ozone Day. The half day event is organised by Assam Climate Change Management Society (ACCMS) at Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara, Guwahati. This year's theme is "Global Action for a Cooler Planet: Celebrating 10 Years of Sustainable Cooling under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol."

The main highlight of the event is the launch of the Assam Cooling Action Plan (ACAP) which was jointly developed by ACCMS and WRI India. The launch will be done by Shri Jayanta Mallabaruah, Hon'ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of Assam, along with other state dignitaries Shri Mahendra Kumar Yadava, Special Chief Secretary; Shri Sandeep Kumar, PCCF & Head of Forest Force; Dr. Satyendra Singh, CEO, ACCMS; and other senior state officials.

The Assam Cooling Action Plan (ACAP) is one of the first state level cooling action plans in India. The plan translates the national India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) into action for Assam, covering four sectors: Buildings, Cold Chain, Industry, and Transport. The plan shows that Assam's cooling-related electricity demand will more than double by 2040  from 3,576 GWh to 8,445 GWh. To meet this demand responsibly, ACAP lays out actions on energy efficiency, refrigerant management and identifies relevant departments to implement them.

The event will also have a panel discussion session on the same theme, which will be chaired by Dr. Om Prakash, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department and moderated by Ms. Sumedha Malaviya, Program Head, Building Decarbonization and Sustainable Cooling, WRI India.  The panellists for this session are:

  • Dr. Rahul Mahanta, Associate Professor, Cotton University
  • Shri Narendra Shah, Commissioner of Industries, Industries & Commerce Dept. Assam
  • Shri Rajendra Garawad, CCF, EF&CC Dept, Assam
  • Shri Subrata Chakrabarty, Associate Program Director, WRI India

The discussion will focus on progress made under the Kigali Amendment over the past decade, and the challenges and opportunities in scaling sustainable cooling in Assam, and what is needed for effective implementation of ACAP.