Photo Courtesy: nenews
Guwahati: Assam rolled out its State Cooling Action Plan on Wednesday to manage soaring electricity needs. The framework targets buildings, industry, transport, and cold chains. It is a first for the region. The Assam Climate Change Management Society built the plan with technical help from WRI India. Officials expect cooling-linked electricity demand to jump from 3,576 GWh to 8,445 GWh by 2040.
Environment Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah debuted the strategy at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati during a World Ozone Day 2026 event. The policy pushes for energy efficiency and better refrigerant management. The Minister stressed that the state must balance growth with planetary health. He noted, "The key priority now is effective implementation through coordinated action across departments and sectors."
The plan leans on nature as much as hardware. Baruah pointed to the Amrit Brikshya Andolan and Brikshya Bandhu projects as models for boosting green cover. These initiatives rely on students, self-help groups, and the Forest Protection Force to plant and protect trees. The event also marked ten years of the Kigali Amendment and the ongoing success of the Montreal Protocol.
Top officials attended the launch, including Special Chief Secretary Mahendra Kumar Yadava and WRI India Executive Program Director Bharath Jairaj. They were joined by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sandeep Kumar, Dr. Om Prakash, Dr. Vinay Gupta, and ACCMS CEO Dr. Satyendra Singh. The state government now faces the task of putting these goals into practice across all priority sectors.
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