Cept workshop to conclude today

The two-day workshop on climate change and regional air pollution and greenhouse gas mitigation by Center for Environmental Planning and Technology University (CEPT) will conclude on Friday.

The workshop is being conducted in association with Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

The Greenhouse gas - Air pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model has been developed by IIASA to identify emission control strategies that achieve given targets on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions at minimal costs.

Dr Fabian Wagner, senior research scholar, IIASA - Austria, said, “The software is freely available and does not require any licensing. However, the main hurdle is its usage. Hands-on-training will be required. It can be used by one central authority to assess the overall figures it receives from various sub authorities.”

For instance, if the software is being used by the State Pollution Control Boards then all such agencies could collect data of their respective areas and send it to the central authority, says Dr Wagner.

“This way, the data will be integrated into one single model and could be assessed together.” GAINS is considering measures for the full range of precursor emissions that cause negative effects on human health via the exposure of fine particles and ground-level ozone.