Summary

This session addressed India’s severe air pollution issue, and discussed the existing efforts and challenges faced, highlighting the role of cooperation between India and Japan to further accelerate action. Speakers from IGES and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) jointly showcased their activities and achievements under the Japan–India Technology Matchmaking Platform (JITMAP) and suggested to scale up opportunities by generating projects, expanding the work to target environmental technologies and strengthening collaborations with local stakeholders. A speaker from TERI indicated the need for innovative financing schemes to reduce the high upfront costs and strategic communication to attract the Indian businesses to participate in JITMAP activities. A representative from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board comprehensively introduced India’s policies, initiatives and regulatory measures. Touching on the successful Mumbai Trans Harbour Line project, the representative emphasised Japan-India cooperation in infrastructure development and R&D. The speaker from the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature presented their joint research project on the crop residue burning and stressed on the need to diversify crops and use rice straw as a biofuel based on the local conditions to support local ecosystems. The speaker from the Japan Environmental Technology Association underscored the importance of using advanced technology to monitor and improve the allocation of resources and expressed the readiness to work together with Indian stakeholders to reduce air pollution in India. The final speaker highlighted the need to co-innovate environmental technology promoting sustainability in India and stressed that Japan’s experience in and knowledge of tackling air pollution should be transferred and applied in the Indian context.