importance of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP)
Why Focus on the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP):
The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is home to over 800 million people and is one of the most polluted and climate-sensitive regions globally. Its unique combination of intensive agriculture, expanding industrial activity, and rapidly growing urban density makes it a major source of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).Addressing emissions here offers rapid climate and health benefits, protecting vulnerable communities while reducing regional warming. It can also serve as a scalable model for sustainable action across South Asia and beyond. The IGP-SLCP initiative takes a multi-sectoral, regionally coordinated approach focused on data, policy, and practical solutions. It integrates science-based assessments, local stakeholder engagement, and effective mitigation strategies across agriculture, waste, transport, and energy sectors. Special emphasis is placed on capacity building, continuous monitoring, and cross-border knowledge sharing, ensuring solutions are scalable, replicable, and capable of delivering long-term transformative impact for both climate and human well-being.
Project Approach
01
Science-Based Planning
Uses data and modeling to identify SLCP hotspots
02
Sectoral Focus
Targets emissions from agriculture, waste, transport, and energy.
03
Capacity Building
Trains local institutions and stakeholders.
SLCPs in the Region
It refers to short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) like black carbon, methane, and tropospheric ozone, which significantly contribute to severe air pollution, declining visibility, ecosystem damage, and accelerated regional warming in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. These pollutants are primarily emitted from unsustainable agricultural practices (e.g., stubble burning), improper waste management, inefficient household and industrial energy use, and outdated, high-emission transport systems that continue to rely on fossil fuels.Because of their short atmospheric lifespan, reducing SLCPs can deliver immediate and tangible benefits—rapidly improving air quality, protecting human health from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, enhancing agricultural productivity by reducing crop damage, and contributing to regional and global climate stability. Moreover, effective SLCP mitigation in this critical region can generate wider co-benefits for livelihoods, biodiversity, water resources, and long-term sustainable economic development, serving as a proven model for integrated, science-driven climate action across South Asia and beyond.
