ITANAGAR, Mar 6: The seven-member delegation from the European Union (EU), headed by Tania Friederichs, visited the environment & forests (E&F) department’s climate change cell here on Friday and spoke on broad issues of possible cooperation with the EU nations.
The team explained the collaborative research and innovation programme, ‘Horizon 2020’, as well as the Start-up Europe India Network scheme.
Friederichs stressed the need for better cooperation with the state and central governments “for future policy dialogue on climate change issues.” She described the visit to the climate change cell as “the beginning of a long-term engagement,” and promised to initiate collaborative activities with the state government in the future.
Earlier, E&F Director D Riba called for “innovative approaches and ideas for better cooperation and coordination in the climate change sector,” and research associate Dr Bhupen Mili spoke about the climate change cell and its activities under the NMSHE programme.
PCCF (Environment & Climate Change) AK Shukla highlighted the issues of climate change and deforestation in the state, and sought “better cooperation at the policy level for sustainable development of the state.”
The delegation also visited the state remote sensing application centre (SRSAC), and
expressed their desire to offer collaborative research-based projects in the sectors of agri-horti development, geo-hazards mapping, climate change studies, and remote sensing technologies.
The team also spoke about generating new knowledge to enhance productivity services for sustainable resources, using innovative technology to address societal challenges.
SRSAC Director Dr H Dutta made a presentation on the initiatives taken by the SRSAC on “the use of space technology for development of Arunachal Pradesh.”
During the interaction with the EU team, SRSAC Joint Director Tana Tage stressed on application of drone technology in 3D mapping, and GIS-based web application for “exploring the solar energy potential of building rooftops in urban areas.”
