Head of PAC’s Public Policy Research Group, Dr. Kala Seetharam Sridhar, was invited by the India Infrastructure Report (IIR) 2010 to attend a Writer’s Workshop on the 6-7th February for potential contributors to the IIR, 2010 on ‘Infrastructure Development in a Sustainable Low Carbon Economy: Road Ahead for India’. The overall theme of the Report is to support research into methods of sustainable development through low-carbon infrastructure development under the following frames:

• Financing infrastructure development along low carbon trajectory - Examine the issues & ways in availing finance to meet the investments needed to achieve sustainable low carbon infrastructure development;
• Rural infrastructure - Sustainable development with low carbon development as co-benefits, role of institutions & need for capacity building;
• Pricing & Subsidy: How they affect investment in infrastructure & carbon emission - Pricing & subsidy not only plays a key role in attracting investment but also influences emissions by affecting and altering consumer behaviour;
• Energy infrastructure - Papers to address the issue of energy security, mapping of carbon footprint, regulatory & policy issues, role of institutions, technology solutions, role of market;
• Urban infrastructure - Papers to address local environmental initiatives in urban areas, how cities are becoming increasingly comfortable in integrating energy policies in their mandates that also address climate protection (solar cities are now becoming a reality in India), role of ULBs, governance-ordinances-policies being put in place to make this happen, water & sanitation issues related to low carbon, planning aspects, sustainable development and climate protection linkage; and
• Transport infrastructure - Papers should explain how to reduce carbon footprint of the transport sector in India (passenger & freight), including that in urban areas (primarily passenger), through regulations, policies, planning and technology. Mitigation approaches should include avoid, shift and improve. It would be useful have illustrative case studies from domestic and international experiences, with lessons drawn from the same.

Dr Sridhar had presented a paper on ‘Economic Impacts of Climate Change in India’s Cities’. The paper is currently being revised and will be submitted in the coming weeks.

The IIR 2010 is the ninth in the series of IIRs produced by the 3iNetwork – a network managed by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).