According to Pinarayi Vijayan's office, representatives from the World Bank have expressed interest in the various projects that Kerala plans to undertake to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
A team from the World Bank, headed by Vice President for South Asia Region Martin Raiser, held talks with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and expressed interest in the state's plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through various projects. Raiser noted that Kerala's rapid urbanization would pose challenges in the future, particularly in terms of rising carbon emissions from the transportation sector.
He suggested that Kerala should make use of renewable energy resources to fulfill its energy requirements.
“It has a lot of potential for solar,” the World Bank official said.
During his meeting with the Chief Minister of Kerala and some of his Cabinet colleagues, he highlighted the importance of adopting e-mobility to develop a green ecosystem in the state. Raiser emphasized the need for implementing electric and fuel cell-based electric vehicles to promote a sustainable transportation system and reduce carbon emissions.
Raiser acknowledged that implementing e-mobility and transitioning to renewable energy in Kerala would be challenging. However, he emphasized the importance of adopting electric and fuel cell-based vehicles to create a sustainable ecosystem in the state. He described his meeting with Chief Minister Vijayan and Cabinet colleagues as positive, citing the successful implementation of World Bank projects in Kerala.
Had a fruitful interaction with @MartinRaiser, @WorldBank's VP for South Asia. It was delightful to share our innovative projects in carbon neutrality and explore opportunities for sustainable development. Thank you for assuring your support and cooperation. pic.twitter.com/jm3edYrfyH
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) May 13, 2023
“I didn’t have any major concerns to raise with the chief minister,” he said.
According to Raiser, the 'Resilient Kerala Programme' of the World Bank aimed at helping the state prepare for natural disasters, climate change effects, disease outbreaks, and pandemics was making good progress.
“It clears a number of areas, including the development of forecasting models and translating those into local planning instruments to make sure that local communities can make use of the scientific information to reduce the risk exposure that they face,” he said.
Raiser expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the state in addressing zoonotic diseases such as Nipah.
“I am happy to tell you that Kerala is the most advanced state in India in terms of trying to really create a cross-sectoral local surveillance infrastructure so that new diseases when they arrive, can be very quickly detected,” Raiser said.
The World Bank team also held discussions with the chief minister regarding a project to assess the impact of climate change on agricultural production. They discussed how farmers can adopt more climate-resilient agricultural practices and increase productivity, leading to more job opportunities in the agribusiness sector. Raiser also noted that the state's health sector will face a significant challenge due to its ageing population.
“The population rate in Kerala is very low. The fertility rate is very low. It has a good health system. But the health system needs to adjust to the fact that people are getting older. This is something we talked about,” he said.
The representatives from the World Bank have shown interest in the different initiatives that Kerala is planning to undertake in order to become carbon neutral by 2050, as per the Chief Minister's Office.
The Chief Minister's Office reported that the World Bank showed interest in six key projects that Kerala is planning to undertake to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. These projects include generating power through floating solar power plants, creating green hydrogen valleys in Kochi and Vizhinjam, and establishing a green hydrogen production-consumption-export center in Kochi.
The World Bank team visited Kerala over the last three days to assess the progress of development programs implemented as part of the "Rebuild Kerala" initiative.
