Introduction: Ever since the December 7th 2015 notification from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), which mandated stricter emission norms for coal-fired power plants, there has been increased debate around the pollution norms and the impact on air quality. Improving air quality is important as they have significant health impacts. A 2018 study by Health Effects Institute estimated 169,300 deaths caused by coal combustion in 2015. It further said that by 2050, the emission from coal plants in the country could replace residential burning of biomass and could result in nearly 1.3 million deaths per year in 2050.
The stricter emission standards have become an issue for thermal power generators, as they struggle to meet these levels. There are many issues from the power generator’s side, who may have to invest significantly to improve technology besides technology challenges in terms of its sustainability and efficacy in overall objectives of air quality improvement. A joint study by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) estimated the cost of technological improvements in coal plants to be between INR 73,176 crore (USD 10 billion) to INR 86,135 crore (USD 12 billion).
Aim of the webinar: IITB conducts research in various aspects of emission standards including
technology, impacts and policy aspects. It is planned that this academic policy dialogue would
provide an opportunity for the students and researchers at IITB to hear major stakeholders through
the discussion to understand their views and complexity of the decision making in environmental
standards formulation and also, enforcement and compliance. The idea to understand views and
concerns of each stakeholder such as, thermal power generators, pollution control boards,
policymakers, and the scientists involved the policymaking.
Link to Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYkLDlnB9DfRWe1fpU1lDfynYEj_P7U8hA0VJ_9YkOQ0Ua1A/viewform
Probable Duration: Maximum 90 Minutes.
