Centre for Studies on Environment and Climate (CSEC):
(An ENVIS Resource Partner on Water Management & Climate Change under the aegis of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India)

The CSEC is a mandated Centre which basically works in the research agenda of environmental resource management through an interdisciplinary module. Though CSEC is the most naïve of all the Centre's functioning at ADRI but it brings about the transitional and transformational experience of catering research for more than twenty years. The Centre is accredited and recognised by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Understanding of the inter disciplinarily subjects through a holistic approach under purview of climate change is the core agenda of the Centre. The Centre has already worked in a number of projects sponsored by international organizations like DFID and UNICEF and other organizations. The core competency of the Centre is its on-board research scientists and researchers on Climate Change anthropology, Environmental resource management, water and its diversified effects. The on board capacity of CSEC works, identifies and caters research agenda on many fore fronts ranging from policy level 5 support to implementation leading to capacity building frameworks. The research activities of the Centre revolves around a multi facet dimension which caters to the thematic areas of the Centre.

Understanding of the niche research gaps

The niche research gaps suggests the fact that still after intended national determined commitments and all kind of provisions there has not been successful mainstreaming of the climate change in the activities of the governance machineries and there by providing research gap authentications and frameworks for implementation climate change proofing. The most understandable fact that climate change is well spoken but needs more simplification so as effective implementation can be produced. The other problem with climate research of late has been a conjoint effort and lack of interdisciplinary module. The CSEC always highlights the fact that climate change needs an interdisciplinary module of stepping and hence it has been a mandate to understand the impacts of climate change on resources management leading to sectorial implications. The CSEC has been involved in studies like understanding effects of climate change on health (Prioritization to women and child health), societal build ups and disaster risks. The Centre also has key stake in Disaster Risk Reduction Road map preparation and implementation for Government of Bihar. Our research activities at this interface focus on issues such as malnutrition and gender, women's empowerment and children's nutrition, gender disparities, gender and agricultural investments, rehabilitation and resettlement issues, adaptation and vulnerability to ecosystem changes and food security under purview of climate change. We also focus on human ecology and the role of traditional knowledge systems in sustainable development.

Programme evaluation studies

For nearly all development programmes, be it of the state or central government or other development funding agencies, an end-point evaluation is now almost mandatory. Thus, even without applying for it, the Centre often receives request for evaluation of various development programmes and they are normally accepted as it strengthens Centre's resource position. We have been assigned to validate the financial framework for climate change proposed by Action for Climate Today, a flagship Programme under DFID's Climate proofing. We have been pivotal in shaping the Bihar's Renewable policy by working closely with the Bihar Renewable Energy Development Agency (BREDA). The Centre has been very active in evaluation studies of the community based water management and filtration modules which have been very pivotal in access to clean and safe water. The Centre has also been part to many technological evaluation of the climate change mitigation strategies that are either implemented on pilot basis or at large scale and of the list in this sub section goes quite exhaustive.

Policy Advocacy and Framework Support:

The core competency of the Institute has been in terms of providing support and implementation framework on Policies and other white paper modules. Aligning in sync with the core competency of the Institute, CSEC has already been involved in policy framing of the Renewable Energy Policy for Government of Bihar and State Action Plan on Climate Change, financing framework. Apart from that the Centre has supported many implementation framework for environmental resource management and climate change variability's. The Centre has acted as a catalyst for policy interventions support and other models of assessment for the governance machineries. All these support systems are backed by on ground surveys and data requisitions of the field study. The research findings and studies have been implemented to greater base for the policy revamping and structuring. With its experts having ample experience of policy formulation/ review in different fields, CSEC, ADRI is considered a 6 favorable destination and is requested to conduct surveys / studies primarily for policy inputs. CSEC, ADRI fulfilled these responsibilities with utmost sincerity and improved research skills in areas of environmental resource management.

Information dissemination of research findings:

The CSEC has pioneered steering of the agenda of climate change and has always been the lead in organizing consultation meeting of the most active agencies in Bihar and in India. The Centre has been responsible in conducting many consultation meeting to understand the research agenda and findings so as a cohesive effort can be streamlined for mainstreaming of the climate change into developmental activities. There by building a strong cohesive network among the niche organizations in the same genre of the theme.

Core thematic research areas of the Centre:

• Environmental Resource Management (Linking to SDG's)
• Climate Change and sectorial implications
• Water and Sustainable Management
• Clean and Renewable Energy Framework
• Climate Change Anthropology
• Disaster Management
• Technological Interventions on Mitigation of Climate Change