NSF-PIRE collaboration: developing low-carbon cities in India: focus on urban infrastructures, climate risks, and vulnerability

Project Overview 

This project addresses climate change, renewable and sustainable energy interventions, water sustainability, human development co-benefits and climate risks, and environmental engineering solutions in cities in India, covering several key USAID priorities. The PI and his team will conduct field research on human development risks and climate risks associated with current and future infrastructure trajectories in Indian cities. The proposal explores the extent to which low carbon infrastructures in India can improve human well-being in cities, thereby motivating low-carbon development trajectories. To address this issue, the research will develop analytic tools to help quantify human co-benefits of low-carbon interventions in Indian cities. The tools include: (1) using satellite data to estimate airborne Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations in Indian cities and relating these to fossil energy use and human development impacts; (2) quantifying the Wastewater-Energy-Greenhouse Gas (GHG) nexus to assess GHG and human well-being co-benefits of improved sanitation and wastewater treatment in Indian cities; and (3) downscaling climate models to incorporate human development impacts from extreme climate events in cities related to flooding, extreme heat, or cold. The research team will also help the US and Indian student cohorts involved to conduct the above field research in Indian cities. IIT-K will further host the International Summer School on Sustainable Cities in 2013 and will send a team of three faculty and students for training and reciprocal experiences in the United States. Finally, IIT-K will  host a professional workshop to enhance science capacity in air pollution modeling, climate modeling, and human development impact assessment. 

Summary of Recent Activities 

During the first quarter of 2013, the lead PI Dr. Tripathi appointed two managers to the project and laid the groundwork for future work during a meeting with U.S. partner Dr. Ramaswami in Varanasi. Their discussions especially focused on preparations for the upcoming summer school at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. This summer school, scheduled for June 2 through July 6, 2013, is expected to host about 50 local participants, 17 international participants, and up to 14 lecturers. In addition, Dr. Tripathi attended an interdisciplinary workshop on sustainable cities on April 24-26 in Washington, DC, hosted by the National Academy of Engineering.