The Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently organized a Climate Change Conclave at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, bringing together experts from all over India to discuss the pressing need for developing foundational models in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for climate modeling in the Indian context.
The two-day conclave, held on 27th–28th May 2024, focused on key issues such as quality control of data, improving climate predictions, and strengthening interactions with people for better climate adaptation solutions. Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of DST, highlighted the significant progress made through the National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) and the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC), supporting various research and development programs.
During the conclave, the draft executive summary of ‘District Level Climate Risk Assessment for India’ was released, emphasizing the importance of indigenous climate models based on data for addressing climate change challenges. Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Senior Advisor at DST, discussed the evolution of DST’s Climate Change Programme and the interventions made in the National Actions Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC).
Dr. Anita Gupta, Head of Climate, Energy, and Sustainable Technology at DST, stressed the urgency of finding solutions to climate change, considering that 40% of the world’s population is already vulnerable to its effects. She highlighted DST’s missions under NAPCC and its participation in global initiatives like Mission Innovation for clean energy solutions.
Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of IIT Delhi, showcased the efforts of the Centre of Excellence on climate change modeling at IIT Delhi, focusing on innovative mitigation technologies such as coal-to-methanol conversion and carbon capture and storage.
The conclave also saw participation from climate change experts from various institutions, including IIT Bhubaneshwar, Banaras Hindu University, University of Delhi, Kashmir University, IISc, and the India Meteorological Department, among others. The collaborative efforts and discussions at the conclave aimed to address the ongoing challenges of climate change and work towards sustainable solutions for the future.