The United Kingdom is keen on forging partnerships with India, particularly Kerala, across various sectors as part of efforts to tackle climate change, and is moving ahead with attempts to attract more U.K. investment into Indian companies, Rachel Brass, First Secretary (Energy and Climate), British High Commission-Department for International Development (DFID) India, has said.
Addressing a discussion of State legislators on ‘Socio-economic causes and impact of climate change’ hosted by the commission here on Tuesday, Ms. Brass said Kerala’s model of decentralised government and devolution of power to local bodies was a global model, which was why the State was being invited to be part of pioneering action in the response to climate change.
Indian and U.K. businesses and innovators working in the climate change and energy space were being linked, and the U.K. had helped create CarbonEx, an index of rating companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange that is based on the London Stock Exchange’s own index. This would encourage companies to come up with policies to conserve energy and reduce carbon and by getting listed, attract U.K. investment.
The U.K. was also helping make low-carbon inclusive growth a central pillar of India’s 12th Five-Year Plan, apart from helping businesses and governments here implement a Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme obliging energy intensive sectors to measure, report, and improve their energy efficiency, she said.
The U.K.’s ambition to engage Kerala on climate change would build on a strong platform of existing engagement, covering trade and investment more broadly and healthcare in particular, she added.
M.V. Sreyamskumar, P.C. Vishnunath, A.M. Arif, and A.P. Abdullakutty, MLAs; Alexei Levene of Innovation Experience, a non-governmental organisation here; Jebi Mather Hisham, councillor, Aluva municipality; Vijay Bhalaki of Athena Infonomics, Chennai; and Vidya Soundarrajan, Senior Regional Adviser, British High Commission, spoke.
