India

Lead Tracker – Leela Raina

Currently pursuing an undergraduate Economics Honours degree from Sri Ram College of Commerce, Leela Raina also did an add-on course in Green Chemistry from Hindu College. Awarded the KPMG Foundation scholarship during her freshman year, she takes an active interest in dramatics, debating and fine arts and has founded a sustainable development society- PRAGATI at Delhi University that works on climate change, microfinance, rural development and women’s empowerment.

In school, she led a Silver-winning team for an Asia-wide NASA design project and in summer 2008, she interned with the CDM department in IL&FS Ecosmart. Her analysis on CDM in India was published in the November Issue of TERI’s flagship magazine – Terragreen. She has also worked with street children at an NGO in Chandigarh.

Leela loves to dance, sing and compete in field events. The Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2008, where she met Dr. Pachauri and other eminent leaders, served as fertile ground for inspiration. Last year she participated in the CAN International Equity Summit in Mahabalipuram and as an Agent of Change in the 2008 UNFCCC COP14.

This year after her learning experience and action research at the GTZ Summer school Hyderabad-Tirupati-Delhi on Sustainable Innovations in India she will be involved with plantation programs under the Carbon Neutral Program in association with Carbon Minus and UNEP as their National Convener.

Apart from civic media, policy at the UNFCCC really excites her and she would want to pursue climate policy and its advocacy seriously and leads the policy team at the Indian Youth Climate Network and lobbies with the government for better international and national policy frameworks.

Very recently she got selected as one of the Indian Journalists who would get the opportunity to fly over the Himalayas, see the real effects of climate change on glaciers and talk to local sherpas and scientists in Nepal as a part of the DFID climate road tour trip.

She is fun loving , full of energy and believes in the Gandhian principle of being the change you want to see in the world.

The Indian Delegation

Lead Negotiator – Mr Shyam Saran- the political strategy whiz of the Indian Negotiating team which he gets from the experience he gained by serving the country in the top most positions in the Foreign Service. He is now the special envoy of the Prime Minister’s council on climate change.

Before this, he has served as Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, High Commissioner to Mauritius, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Deputy Chief of Mission in Tokyo and Counsellor in the Indian Embassy in Beijing.

Environmental Minister – Jai Ram Ramesh who is a politician, and a minister of independent charge- one of the most proactive of his kinds in years. From 2004 to 2009, he was the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry as well as the Minister of State for Power in the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Dr Prodipto Ghosh- PM’s council on climate change, Senior Fellow, Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi. He is the theorist in the team and would give backing to all the science and no’s India is hooting for. Also, he is the ex- secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests

Chandrashekhar Dasgupta- Distinguished fellow- TERI he has also served in the Indian Foreign Service

Chandrashekhar Dasgupta served in the Indian Foreign Service from May 1962 to August 2000. During his diplomatic career he held several important posts, including the following:

• Ambassador to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg (1996-2000);
• Ambassador to China (1993-1996);
• Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (1989-1993);
• Ambassador & Deputy Permanent Representative at the United Nations,
New York (1986-1989);
• High Commissioner in Tanzania (1984-1986);
• High Commissioner in Singapore (1981-1983).

Mr. Dasgupta’s interests include international affairs, modern history and global environmental issues. He is a member of the EU Round Table. He is a life-member of the Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses and the United Services Institute. He writes regularly for The Telegraph on foreign policy and national security issues.

Mr. Dasgupta is a Distinguished Fellow at TERI, where he is engaged on research on Climate Change and other global environmental issues.

He is the author of War and Diplomacy in Kashmir 1947-48.

R R Rashmi- Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests