Bihar Climate Action Conclave

Over two years ago, the Bihar government embarked on a journey to build climate resilience of its people and systems along with achieving net zero by 2070 through an ambitious strategy development project titled “Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development Pathway".

Under this project, the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (DoEFCC), Government of Bihar, in association with the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) and a technical consortium comprising internationally renowned organizations, including UNEP, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, WRI India, and CEEW, was established. The project was supported by multiple deep-dive partners, including RTI for Energy, CII for Building, DA for Industry, and ICLEI for Waste Management. Over the past two years, a strategy has been developed which provides short, medium, and long-term recommendations for both mitigation and adaptation sectors to formulate a long-term strategy on climate-resilient and low-carbon development pathways.

Bihar Climate Action Conclave is being organised by WRI India, in collaboration with UNEP and Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, along with the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bihar and the Bihar State Pollution Control Board, to launch the strategy document. It also seeks to facilitate discussions on Bihar’s ambitious climate actions, including the strategies to move towards net zero, mainstream climate-friendly development, exploring climate finance opportunities, and initiating a new transformational climate governance structure. These efforts are geared towards furthering the state’s commitment to climate action and accelerating its developmental trajectory by implementing suggested strategies.

Key themes:

• Climate Change, Preparedness and Adaptation
• Climate Mitigation and Transition
• Climate Finance and Co-benefits
• Unlocking Bihar's Green Potential

Expected Outcomes:

• Strengthened partnerships and networks for climate action in Bihar.
• Increased awareness and capacity among stakeholders for implementing climate initiatives.

SPEAKERS

• Shri Nitish Kumar, Hon’ble Chief Minister, GoB
• Amir Subhani, I.A.S. Chief Secretary, GoB
• Dr Udaykant Mishra, Vice Chairman, BSDMA
• Shri Vivek Kumar Singh, I.A.S. * Chairman, RERA Bihar
• Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, I.A.S. Special Chief Secretary to the Govt. of Assam
• Shri Pratyaya Amrit, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, GoB
• Shri Brijesh Mehrotra, I.A.S. * Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue & Land Reforms Dept, GoB
• Shri Sandeep Poundrik, I.A.S. * Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Industries, GoB
• Shri Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, I.A.S. * Principal Secretary, Finance Department, GoB
• Shri Santosh Kumar Mall, I.A.S. Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Housing Department, GoB
• Shri Sanjeev Hans, I.A.S. * Principal Secretary, Energy Department, GoB
• Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC, GoI
• Bandana Preyashi, I.A.S., Secretary, DoEFCC, GoB
• Dr D. K. Shukla, Chairman, BSPCB
• Dr Ashima Jain, I.A.S. Secretary, Minor Water Resources Department, GoB
• N Jawahar Babu, I.F.S. PCCF (Climate Change and Wetland), DoEFCC, GoB
• Suharsha Bhagat, I.A.S., AED, Bihar State Health Society
• Shri Abhay Jha, I.A.S. Administrator, BSTRC, GoB
• Shri Abhishek Kumar, IFS, Director Horticulture, Agriculture Department, GoB
• Shri Venugopal Mothkoor, Senior Specialist (Energy), NITI Aayog
• Atul Bagai, Country Head, UNEP, India
• Dr Prabhu Pingali, Founding Director, Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI)
• Shrashtant Patara, CEO, Development Alternatives
• Vatsala Joseph, Interim CEO, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation
• Dr Ashish Kumar, Director, IMD, Patna
• Ulka Kelkar Gadgil, Executive Director, Climate, WRI India
• Shri Jonathan Demenge, Head of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
• Dr Bhaskar Sinha * Associate Professor, IIFM, Bhopal
• Dr Mrinal Biswas Regional Director, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Kolkata
• Dr Tanmay Mahapatra, Director, Data & Learning - Piramal Swasthya Management & Research Institute
• Shri Jubin Jacob Mathew, Director, Commercial Excellence and Policy, SEEDS Technical Services
• Smt Nidhi Madan, Associate Director–Climate Policy, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation
• Smt Ritu Thakur, Assistant Programme Coordinator (Sustainability), ICLEI South Asia
• Shri Siddharth Arora, Associate Director, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation
• Shri Sudip Kumar, Chairman, IGBC Patna
• Shri Manish Mishra * Chief Corporate Affairs, Tata Steel
• Dr Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Fellow, CEEW
• Shri Ajeya Bandyopadhyay, Asia Lead (Advisory) - Decarbonisation and Circular Economy, IFC
• Smt Mahua Acharya, Chief of Staff, C-Quest Capital
• Smt Shweta Srinivasan, Senior Specialist- Energy Transitions, India Climate Collaborative
• Smt Anubha Prasad General Manager, Patna Regional Office (Bihar & Jharkhand), SIDBI
• Dr Ashmita Gupta, Member-Secretary, ADRI
• Shri Shubhashis Dey, Director, Climate Policy and Climate Finance, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation
• Shri Shirish Sinha, Executive Director of Programmes, Clean Air Fund
• Smt Aditi Jha, Director & Country Lead: Legal & Government Affairs, LinkedIn
• Dr Soumen Maity Vice President, Development Alternatives