The Andhra Pradesh government has signed an agreement with the administration of the Canadian province Ontario under which the two will share knowledge on climate change and also help deepen trade ties.
The agreement was signed during the Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne's visit to the state.
Government of Ontario also signed an agreement with the Department of Science and Technology under which Ontario will provide USD 9,00,000 in funding over a two-year period to support three new collaborative research projects under Round 3 of the Ontario-India Collaboration Fund. The funding would be matched by India.
In all, 18 pacts worth USD 98 million were inked in sectors like higher education, clean energy, tourism and power between firms based in Ontario and their Indian counterparts.
"Ontario government ministers signed its first MoU with the state of Andhra Pradesh. This agreement will make it easier for the two regions to share knowledge about climate change and will support economic cooperation through joint activities such as seminars, trade missions and conferences," an official release said.
"My trade mission to India is off to a positive and successful start. I have met Indian political leaders and business innovators to showcase Ontario's expertise in infrastructure, sustainable development and technology.
"Throughout the mission, I will continue to build these important relationships and help Ontario businesses to connect with Indian partners," Wynne said.
Ontario-based Novo Plastics, which has developed the world's first plastic exhaust system for autos, announced a JV for production and selling in India.
"We expect Indo-Canada bilateral trade to touch USD 15 billion in next 3-5 years from around USD 6 billion at present," Kam Rathee, Vice-Chairman, Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) who is accompanying Premier Wynne, told PTI.
Some JVs between Ontario's educational institutes and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) were also forged yesterday.
The NSDC and five colleges of Ontario launched a joint initiative aiming at enhancing training programmes for Canadian and international standards while strengthening educational and economic ties between India and the province.
Besides, an agreement was signed between Ontario's Seneca Collega and Max Institute for Health Education and Research (MIHER)to provide training for an initial 3,500 medical-sales graduates.
(Reopens BOM 27)
Pershing said India should opt for a fuel that is carbon free to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Part of the reason for the US and China being number 1 and 2 respectively in greenhouse gas emissions was due to their failure to address the carbon issue, said Pershing, who is in India as part of the US-India Strategic and Commercial dialogue.
Addressing students on the impact of climate change and the urgent need to address it, Pershing said electricity contributes one-third to GHG emissions, and a collective effort at the global level is necessary to reduce the emissions.
This could be done through use of better technology and also the use of renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, hydro and nuclear energy, he said.
"I am agnostic about nuclear energy. It is for each country to decide on which source to use. It is necessary to ensure the source does not produce carbon," he said.
To ensure that global temperatures do not rise above 1.5 degrees Celsius, the US government has made it mandatory for all manufacturers to incorporate climate change in every decision, Pershing said.
The US agriculture department is working on processes for farming which lower GHG emissions, he said.
"Climate change makes everything we worry about such as high tides, rains, and droughts worse. We are at the edge and a small tip would lead to chaos," he said.
"Ours is the generation that could change the situation. Our parents did not have the chance to do so and our children won't have it," he added.
