Council on Energy, Environment and Water Integrated | International | Independent
New Delhi, 15 January 2023: We are delighted to announce that Dr Arunabha Ghosh has joined the High-Level Consultative Group for the Energy Transition Accelerator, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Bezos Earth Fund. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Bezos Earth Fund Chief Executive Officer Andrew Steer, and The Rockefeller Foundation Executive Vice President Elizabeth Yee announced the formation of the High-Level Consultative Group at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum.
Aimed at catalysing private capital to accelerate the transition to clean power in developing countries, the three partners had introduced the broad outlines of the ETA at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in November in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Dr Ghosh is amongst 20 leading experts across a wide range of regions and constituencies, representing civil society organisations, standard-setting initiatives, private sector coalitions, and intergovernmental bodies. The experts include Inger Andersen, Executive Director, U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP); Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD); Catherine McKenna, Chair, U.N. High-level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities; Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL); Vera Songwe, Co-Chair, U.N. High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance amongst others.
The ETA aims to help keep a 1.5°C limit on warming within reach by driving private investment in comprehensive energy transition strategies. Further, it will aim to deliver deeper, earlier emissions reductions, help developing countries achieve and strengthen their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and advance broader sustainable development goals, including expanded energy access and poverty alleviation.
Dr Ghosh has worked in the capacity of an advisor for various governments, industries, civil society and international organisations around the world. He currently serves on the Government of India’s G20 Finance Track Advisory Group for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. Most recently, the UN Secretary-General appointed him to the High-level Expert Group on the Credibility and Accountability of Net-Zero Announcements by Non-State Actors. In 2018, the UN Secretary-General nominated him to the UN Committee for Development Policy, re-nominating him this year for a second term until December 2024. In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP2020). In 2021, he was appointed as Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force on climate and energy for Indonesia’s G20 2022 Presidency.