Arunabha Ghosh appointed to UN new expert group on Net-Zero emissions

New Delhi: UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Dr. Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), to the new expert group on net-zero emissions on Friday.

The six-member group was announced by the Secretary General on Thursday to develop stronger and clearer standards for net-zero emissions pledges by non-state entities such as businesses, investors, cities, and regions.

“Dr Ghosh is among three Asians and the only South Asian serving on the expert group,” said the statement.

The group will be chaired by Ms. Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Mr. Oumar Tatam Ly, former Prime Minister of Mali, Mr. Carlos Lopes, Commissioner at the Global Commission for Economy and Climate, and Ms. Mary Nichols, former Chair of the California Air Resources Board, will also be members of this expert group.

Speaking about his appointment to the group, Dr Arunabha Ghosh said, “I am deeply honoured to have been asked by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to serve on the High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Actors, chaired by Catherine McKenna.

The climate crisis needs more than promises, and climate action needs more than belief in us. Climate action needs to be built on trust, “he said.

Dr. Ghosh has served as an advisor to a number of governments, industries, civil society organizations, and international organisations around the world.

In 2018, the UN Secretary-General nominated him to the UN Committee for Development Policy, re-nominating him this year for a second term until December 2024.

According to the UN, the Expert Group’s recommendations will address four specific domains: current standards and definitions for setting net-zero targets; credibility criteria used to assess the objectives; measurement and reporting of net-zero pledges; processes for verification and accounting of progress towards net-zero commitments and reported decarbonization plans; and a roadmap to translate standards and criteria into international and national-level regulations.

The Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) is one of Asia’s leading not-for-profit policy research institutions.

JA