IGSD works to implement sub-national fast mitigation strategies, protect sinks, and study methane removal, among other efforts.
Strengthening and Expanding India’s Engagement on Fast Climate Mitigation
This IGSD project addresses non-CO2 climate pollutants in India and encourages and supports India’s leadership with this fast mitigation strategy.
Our India work includes developing and implementing strategic initiatives to reduce non-CO2 climate pollutants at both the national and the subnational state level by identifying technology solutions, fostering collaboration among states in India, and facilitating the flow of private and public investments.
Launched in 2023, IGSD is currently working with subnational governments in India’s nine largest states. Through policy research, capacity-building, and a commitment to fast action, IGSD aims to enhance climate resilience, slow near-term and long-term warming, and promote sustainable development in India.
Our India work also includes research on the science on teleconnections that impact Indian monsoons and the Himalayan glaciers as well as support for implementing India’s Arctic Policy.
Key Publications
-
- Osho Z., Jackson, E (2025) The Polar Tiger: Climate Change, India, and US Arctic Security Policy in a Multipolar World, Journal of Arctic Security (Vol. 2), Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.
- Osho Z. (2024) India’s Methane Problem, Research Brief, The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.
- Zaelke D., Ravichandran, M. Osho, Z., Dreyfus G., Ghosh, K., Chiemi, T., Tripathy, U., Murphy, A. (2023) The Consequences of Arctic Amplification in a Warming World, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
- Dhawan V., Shah N.,Dreyfus G., Zaelke D., Osho Z., Murphy A., Seth S.( 2023) Low Carbon Development Pathways for Cooling: Leveraging Kigali Amendment Across Residential Applications, T20 Task Force 4: Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions.
- Seth S., Srivastava R. ,Osho Z., Harper S. (2023) From Planning to Action: Rethinking the Role of Cities in Accelerating Net-Zero Transitions, T20 Task Force 4: Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions.
- Dhawan V., Kanter D.R., Fajardo, R.V. (2023) Developing a Global Nitrous Oxide Reduction Policy for a Food-Secure Future, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
- Dhawan V., Osho Z., Zaelke D., Kleymeyer, A.M., Murphy A., (2023) Greening Cold chain Infrastructure to Develop Global Food Corridors: Accelerating the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
Latest Op-Eds
-
- Hindustan Times, V. Dhawan & Z. Osho, India, UK, and France can be the new climate leaders, 22 April 2025.
- The Economic Times, D. Zaelke & Z. Osho, As pollution worsens in Delhi, experts at COP29 urge India to tackle short-lived climate pollutants, 14 Nov 2024.
- The Hindu, Z. Osho, Staying cool, but with clean tech, global collaborations, 9 November 2024.
- The Hindu, Z. Osho, A climate crisis agenda remains urgent, 18 September 2024.
- The Leaflet, Z. Osho & E. Jackson, Climate finance, the North-South divide and India, 23 November 2023.
Team
-
- Zerin Osho – Director
- Sunandini Seth – Program Coordinator
- Shivang Agarwal – Technical Fellow
- Akshat Patni – Technical Lead
- Captain Anurag Bisen – Senior Advisor, Arctic Program
- Nehal Sharma – Subnational & Arctic Program Lead
- Nikhil Kumar – Communications Lead
- Asad Ali – Communications Manager
- Ravleen Kaur – Public Relations Specialist
- Yukti Dabas – Project Development Lead
- Abir Saraon – Partnerships Lead
- Jahnavi Shah – Technical Associate
- Pranjali Chowdhary – Research and Policy Associate
- Bhhavya Kapoor – Research and Policy Associate
- Saloni Srivastava – Research and Policy Associate
- Ali Reza – Research and Policy Associate
- Nandini Suri – Research and Policy Associate
- Rishi Bakshi – Research and Policy Associate
- Atharva Deshmukh – Research and Policy Associate
- Rajagopal – Director of Finance & Administration
Contact: Sunandini Seth, sseth@igsd.org
While not short-lived, nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent GHG with a 100-year global warming potential that is 273 times greater than CO2, contributing the equivalent of about 10% of today’s CO2 warming. It also is the most significant anthropogenic ozone-depleting substance not yet controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
The Montreal Protocol’s 2022 Quadrennial Assessment Report calculated that N2O emissions accelerated over the last 20 years and now exceed the highest projections. The anthropogenic N2O emissions in 2020 were the equivalent of more than 20% of the ozone-depleting potential of CFCs, which were the main ozone-depleting substances when the Montreal Protocol was agreed in 1987.
The Montreal Protocol has the capacity, flexibility, compliance mechanisms, and universal UN membership to control global N2O emissions, starting with emissions from the production of adipic and nitric acids.
IGSD is analyzing the possibility of amending the Montreal Protocol to bring N2O under the jurisdiction of the world’s most successful climate treaty.
See Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment (2024), UNEP & FAO.
See Primer on Nitrous Oxide, The Last Significant Ozone-Depleting Substance and Greenhouse Gas Not Regulated by the Montreal Protocol (2024), IGSD.
Coming soon!
Strengthening and Expanding India’s Engagement on Fast Climate Mitigation
This IGSD project addresses non-CO2 climate pollutants in India and encourages and supports India’s leadership with this fast mitigation strategy.
Our India work includes developing and implementing strategic initiatives to reduce non-CO2 climate pollutants at both the national and the subnational state level by identifying technology solutions, fostering collaboration among states in India, and facilitating the flow of private and public investments.
Launched in 2023, IGSD is currently working with subnational governments in India’s nine largest states. Through policy research, capacity-building, and a commitment to fast action, IGSD aims to enhance climate resilience, slow near-term and long-term warming, and promote sustainable development in India.
Our India work also includes research on the science on teleconnections that impact Indian monsoons and the Himalayan glaciers as well as support for implementing India’s Arctic Policy.
Key Publications
-
- Osho Z., Jackson, E (2025) The Polar Tiger: Climate Change, India, and US Arctic Security Policy in a Multipolar World, Journal of Arctic Security (Vol. 2), Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.
- Osho Z. (2024) India’s Methane Problem, Research Brief, The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.
- Zaelke D., Ravichandran, M. Osho, Z., Dreyfus G., Ghosh, K., Chiemi, T., Tripathy, U., Murphy, A. (2023) The Consequences of Arctic Amplification in a Warming World, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
- Dhawan V., Shah N.,Dreyfus G., Zaelke D., Osho Z., Murphy A., Seth S.( 2023) Low Carbon Development Pathways for Cooling: Leveraging Kigali Amendment Across Residential Applications, T20 Task Force 4: Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions.
- Seth S., Srivastava R. ,Osho Z., Harper S. (2023) From Planning to Action: Rethinking the Role of Cities in Accelerating Net-Zero Transitions, T20 Task Force 4: Refuelling Growth: Clean Energy and Green Transitions.
- Dhawan V., Kanter D.R., Fajardo, R.V. (2023) Developing a Global Nitrous Oxide Reduction Policy for a Food-Secure Future, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
- Dhawan V., Osho Z., Zaelke D., Kleymeyer, A.M., Murphy A., (2023) Greening Cold chain Infrastructure to Develop Global Food Corridors: Accelerating the Achievement of the 2030 Agenda, T20 Task Force 6: Accelerating SDGs: Exploring New Pathways to the 2030 Agenda.
Latest Op-Eds
-
- Hindustan Times, V. Dhawan & Z. Osho, India, UK, and France can be the new climate leaders, 22 April 2025.
- The Economic Times, D. Zaelke & Z. Osho, As pollution worsens in Delhi, experts at COP29 urge India to tackle short-lived climate pollutants, 14 Nov 2024.
- The Hindu, Z. Osho, Staying cool, but with clean tech, global collaborations, 9 November 2024.
- The Hindu, Z. Osho, A climate crisis agenda remains urgent, 18 September 2024.
- The Leaflet, Z. Osho & E. Jackson, Climate finance, the North-South divide and India, 23 November 2023.
Team
-
- Zerin Osho – Director
- Sunandini Seth – Program Coordinator
- Shivang Agarwal – Technical Fellow
- Akshat Patni – Technical Lead
- Captain Anurag Bisen – Senior Advisor, Arctic Program
- Nehal Sharma – Subnational & Arctic Program Lead
- Nikhil Kumar – Communications Lead
- Asad Ali – Communications Manager
- Ravleen Kaur – Public Relations Specialist
- Yukti Dabas – Project Development Lead
- Abir Saraon – Partnerships Lead
- Jahnavi Shah – Technical Associate
- Pranjali Chowdhary – Research and Policy Associate
- Bhhavya Kapoor – Research and Policy Associate
- Saloni Srivastava – Research and Policy Associate
- Ali Reza – Research and Policy Associate
- Nandini Suri – Research and Policy Associate
- Rishi Bakshi – Research and Policy Associate
- Atharva Deshmukh – Research and Policy Associate
- Rajagopal – Director of Finance & Administration
Contact: Sunandini Seth, sseth@igsd.org
While not short-lived, nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent GHG with a 100-year global warming potential that is 273 times greater than CO2, contributing the equivalent of about 10% of today’s CO2 warming. It also is the most significant anthropogenic ozone-depleting substance not yet controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
The Montreal Protocol’s 2022 Quadrennial Assessment Report calculated that N2O emissions accelerated over the last 20 years and now exceed the highest projections. The anthropogenic N2O emissions in 2020 were the equivalent of more than 20% of the ozone-depleting potential of CFCs, which were the main ozone-depleting substances when the Montreal Protocol was agreed in 1987.
The Montreal Protocol has the capacity, flexibility, compliance mechanisms, and universal UN membership to control global N2O emissions, starting with emissions from the production of adipic and nitric acids.
IGSD is analyzing the possibility of amending the Montreal Protocol to bring N2O under the jurisdiction of the world’s most successful climate treaty.
See Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment (2024), UNEP & FAO.
See Primer on Nitrous Oxide, The Last Significant Ozone-Depleting Substance and Greenhouse Gas Not Regulated by the Montreal Protocol (2024), IGSD.
Coming soon!
Other Efforts Resources
India’s efforts to address climate change have often centered on carbon dioxide (CO2), but with growing evidence of the substantial impact of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), this focus is sharpening. SLCPs, including black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and nitrous oxide (N2O), are potent contributors to climate change, accelerating global warming with far-reaching implications […]
Super pollutants Other efforts
Each year, one-third of the total food for human consumption is either lost or wasted even as millions worldwide experience food insecurity. Similarly, over 25 percent of vaccines are wasted each year while millions die from vaccine-preventable illnesses Sustainable cold chain infrastructure can significantly reduce post-harvest food loss and vaccine wastage and deliver social and […]
Super pollutants Other efforts
Multilateral approaches to nitrogen pollution are generating synergies between climate change and food security and presenting opportunities to reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) globally. N2O is the most abundant ozone-depleting substance not yet regulated by the Montreal Protocol and a powerful greenhouse gas. Failure to reduce emissions will delay ozone layer recovery and worsen the climate […]
Super pollutants Other efforts
Heating and cooling demand for space conditioning and refrigeration accounts for around a fifth of global final energy consumption. Climate change, urbanization, and economic development have tripled electricity demand for cooling alone since the 1990s, with the majority coming from the use of inefficient cooling equipment, which burdens electricity grids, especially during peak hours. It […]
Super pollutants Other efforts
Cities are responsible for over 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 75 percent of primary energy consumption. By 2050, over two-thirds of the world population will live in cities, resulting in even greater infrastructure needs and increased carbon emissions. Yet, cities largely remain on the sidelines in the design of national and international […]
Super pollutants Other efforts
Despite three decades of political efforts and a wealth of research on the causes and catastrophic impacts of climate change, global carbon dioxide emissions have continued to rise and are 60% higher today than they were in 1990. Exploring this rise through nine thematic lenses—covering issues of climate governance, the fossil fuel industry, geopolitics, economics, […]
Other efforts
In order to improve energy efficiency and reduce green house gas emissions, the aluminum smelting industry has been continuously working on reducing both anode effect frequency (AEF) and duration (AED). However, there is still a long way to go to achieve zero anode effect (AE) on very high amperage, low specific power consumption cells due […]
Other efforts