Government releases book on climate change

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu released a book on climate change in the capital on Tuesday.

The book titled "Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilisation" deals with mitigating climate change that is arising out of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

The book is a collection of papers prepared by authors such as R V Shahi, the former Power Secretary, Malti Goel, former Advisor in the Ministry of Science and Technology, and M Sudhakar, Advisor/Scientist, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilisation (CCSU) is a global response to the challenge of climate change. It is an emerging energy technology dealing with capturing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, storing it away in underground reservoir and/or utilising it by conversion to various food, feedstock and fuels.

Prabhu said the Railways is the biggest consumer of energy in the country.

"While it mostly uses electricity and diesel, it's now using alternate sources of energy like wind, solar, CNG and bio-fuels," he added.

Referring to the energy scenario in the country, he said that while India is making vigorous efforts to use alternate sources of energy, our dependence on fossil fuel will continue for many years.

"Therefore it is imperative that problems and challenges arising out of carbon dioxide emissions are addressed," he said.

The climate change concerns arising from combustion and increasing accumulation of green house gases have given rise to the need for development of clean energy technologies and carbon dioxide mitigation is one of them.

Prabhu also said that the Indian industry and research institutions have also to do and contribute much more than they have been doing so far to the cause.

Shahi, while introducing the book mentioned that even though the carbon capture and storage technology might take some time to be cost effective, it is important that Indian industry consuming coal becomes responsive towards research and technology development.

Goel while explaining the concept of carbon capture said "carbon capture and storage (CCS) is among the advanced energy technologies suggested to make the conventional fossil fuel sources environmentally sustainable. It is of particular importance to coal-based economies."

Edited by Goel, Sudhakar and Shahi, it has been published by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), an NGO, which works for sustaining environment with a global vision and a local focus.

(With PTI inputs)