Greenpeace demands acted on:

Government introduces mandatory regime for carbon disclosure and renewables in telecom

Press release - January 14, 2012

New Delhi, January 14th, 2012- In what could be the turning point for the Indian telecommunication sector, the Government of India yesterday accepted the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recommendations on ‘Approach towards Green Telecommunications’(1).

“In the absence of tangible and substantive action by the sector, such a directive is certainly welcome” said Mrinmoy Chattaraj, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India. “However, the mandatory regime now needs to substantively scale up on ambition, to ensure a complete phase-out of diesel from the sector” he added.

Greenpeace has been consistently engaging with the telecom sector and the Government of India on this issue (2 &3), including the need for public disclosure of carbon emissions, establishing progressive targets for reduction and establishing clear targets for telecom towers to be powered by Renewable energy and phase-out diesel consumption.

In conclusion, Chattaraj said “While we have certainly been pushing hard for a mandatory regime, this is has come about, also as a result of progressive forces and sectoral business associations playing a constructive role in pushing for positive change.”