Promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Resilient Odisha
Project Overview
The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), Government of Odisha, is implementing a three-year project (2023–2026) funded by the Gates Foundation to enhance climate resilience in the agriculture and allied sector.
Climate Modelling and Risk Assessment Framework for Risk-Informed Adaptation Planning
CSTEP, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), Government of Odisha, is leading a collaborative effort to enhance climate resilience in the state’s agriculture and allied sector. This effort includes a series of capacity-building programmes on key climate themes such as adaptation and mitigation, climate modelling, hazard and vulnerability assessments, climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and risk-informed planning.
Press release: Heavy duty, high impact: Mitigating heavy commercial vehicle emissions in India
• By 2035, the number of heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) will rise by 27%.
• Except in a few states and union territories, such as Delhi and Puducherry, the majority of PM2.5 emissions come from trucks.
• Super-emitters constitute only 23% of the fleet, but they contribute to 62% of PM2.5 emissions.
• Targeting super-emitters can reduce HCV emissions by ~60%.
• Implementing low-emission zones can reduce HCV emissions by 15%–30%, but it is still in a pilot phase in India.
Intern (CSA CBA)
We are seeking a Research Intern to support data collection, collation, and preliminary analysis for a field-based study in Puri District, Odisha. The intern will work under the Adaptation and Risk Analysis team within the Climate, Environment and Sustainability sector. This position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals passionate about agriculture, environmental economics, and development policy to gain hands-on research experience.
Heavy duty, high impact: Mitigating heavy commercial vehicle emissions in India
Air pollution, a pressing public health crisis in Indian cities, is significantly driven by the transport sector. Heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs; e.g. buses, trucks, water tankers, and dumpers), comprising only 1.74% of all vehicles, contribute to over 70% of vehicular pollution, particularly particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). Further, trucks, which constitute the majority of HCVs, dominate HCV emissions due to their high registration numbers and vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT).
Switch on, smoke off: Reducing emissions from diesel generator sets
Diesel generator (DG) sets, used for power backup across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, are prominent hyperlocal sources of air and noise pollution throughout India. The current study estimated that a total of 14.7 lakh DG sets, with a capacity of over 5 kVA and a cumulative capacity of 2,72,576 MVA, were operational in India in 2022. These DG sets contributed to 42 Gg of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5), 23 Gg of black carbon, and 877 Gg of nitrogen oxides (NOX) in India.