Vaibhav (PFM 2001-03) is a Fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)- one of Asia’s leading think tanks in the climate space- and leads CEEW’s low carbon pathways research. His expertise is on modelling long term futures for energy and emissions. His role focuses on developing a modelling ecosystem in India, and informing national and state level energy and climate policy. He has published extensively in top journals of energy and climate policy, is currently the Review Editor of IPCC AR6 WGIII Chapter 3, co-chair of the Mitigation Working Group of the Independent Global Stocktake Process (iGST), and is/ has been a part of various GoI committees and groups on India’s energy and climate policy. He advises young graduates to discover their area of interest, take risks while exploring, build a knowledge ecosystem by sharing their written pieces with IIFM as well as wider community and encourage others to do the same to learn as much as possible from others’ work.
LinkedIn ID: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaibhav-chaturvedi-44333a6/
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM to this role?
A. First of all, I thank the IIFMight in Focus team for giving me this opportunity of sharing my journey and learnings here.
The journey from IIFM has meandered through a grassroots NGO (DSC), a PhD, a Post Doc, and a leadership role in one of Asia’s top climate related think tanks (CEEW) which enabled intense engagement with the global integrated assessment modelling community & India’s energy and climate policy makers and stakeholders. The journey so far has been very humbling and motivating while giving me new avenues to learn and contribute all the way.
- From IIFM, I was privileged to join one of the most successful NGOs- Development Support Centre (DSC)- working with the communities in Gujarat. I did my second OT there and fortunately my good work got me a PPO in their research unit. While I was with a grassroot NGO, the research role gave me the opportunity to understand and discuss various aspects of irrigation and watershed management, ranging from community engagement to policy frameworks. I had made up my mind while at IIFM to pursue research in the environmental domain. I also had a picture of sitting and thinking in this role without much physical activity!! Little did I realize that research with a field NGO would imply walking across agricultural fields to interview farmers, undertaking PRAs (and all possible arrows in the quiver of an IIFM’ite!) in the intense heat of Gujarat! Along with learning from the field, I also realized the human resource challenge that field NGOs face in their role and wish that donors and the society stop viewing top talent working in the NGO sector as people who are there for social work. I was always inclined towards the economic philosophy of the right and have very strong opinion on the ills that the economic philosophy of the left has bought to India, including the state of many field NGOs that are starved of much needed skill sets.
- From DSC, I moved on to pursuing a PhD in Economics. My PhD at IIMA focused on energy and climate economics. While the focus of the thesis was long-term evolution of carbon markets (very different from short-term market dynamics), here I was introduced to the methodological approach of integrated assessment modelling (IAMs). IAMs rule the roost in climate policy. They are highly influential across countries. If any of you have been working in the environmental domain, and often wondered where the net-zero came from & how were the NDC targets India submitted under the Paris Agreement derived, the answer is IAMs. As with anything so influential, there are some valid as well as some motivated critique of IAMs. Nevertheless, I got an opportunity to explore how future could evolve in 30, 40, 50 years from now through a structure approach based on market economy principles. This is what I have essentially been doing for the last 15 years. Essentially, I try to peek into the future through a structured approach, and derive insights for near term policy so that we can influence the future course of society in case we don’t think it is going in the right direction, within the domain of energy and climate.
- Post my PhD, I joined the Joint Global Change Research Institute (USA), a joint institute of the University of Maryland and Pacific Northwest National Lab of the US as a post-doctoral research fellow. The three-year stint with a globally renowned modelling team that was and is known for pushing the frontiers of global climate policy research was a lifetime experience. I learnt about the research structures that are able to deliver cutting edge climate policy research and influence global and national climate policy. I saw how teams that do some very sophisticated analytical research are developed and motivated to continue pushing the frontiers while engaging with policy makers. I also understood the massive importance of good communication skills – both written and verbal- and the key role it plays particularly for researchers like me so that it does not come out as mumbo jumbo for the larger audience. It is a researcher’s job to make complex stuff relatable and easy enough to understand for both policy makers and other colleagues across sectors.
- While I had quite a few options (including a top IIM) to join after coming back to India, I chose Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). CEEW way back at that time was in its initial phase and hence it looked like a perfect combination of challenge and opportunity to me. I had heard pretty good things about it from my friends in the domain and after looking at the illustrious Board and the founder-CEO, I took the calculated risk of choosing CEEW over the other offers due to my interest in research and policy impact. Now in the hindsight, one can only say that it was the best decision I ever took in my career. I had the opportunity of not just doing cutting edge research, but engaging with policymakers closely to inform and influence policy. CEEW works across various areas of research and action ranging from energy access to climate risks, industrial sustainability to mobility, power sector reforms to low carbon pathways to energy finance. Importantly, at CEEW we believe in making careers in public policy, and hence something very important for us has been to shape young minds and develop their capabilities in a structured way. In the process, my most important learning has been related to building the institution and building a team. Among many other firsts for a think tank, CEEW has now started training researchers from the broader community in modelling approaches and our team is currently training PhD students from IIT Roorkee, IIM Sambalpur and Kyoto University in modelling, something that no Indian think tank has attempted before at least in my knowledge.
As you will see, I have been fortunate to be at the top institutions in their field beginning from IIFM, and people from these institutions have entirely shaped my career.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. In all this process, many milestones have been automatically added, including publications in top journals like Nature among other journals, positions across various GoI committees/groups related to energy and climate policy, and positions in the international advisory/editorial boards of Energy Policy, and Energy and Climate Change (some high-profile Elsevier journals), IPCC AR6 chapter Review Editor, iGST (an international civil society initiative) mitigation working group co-chair, taking CEEW to greater heights to my utmost satisfaction. CEEW‘s modelling work was heavily influential in informing India’s position and decision related to the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, as well as the recent net-zero announcement by the GoI, among other things. For all of us, there would have been many milestones along the way and there will be many more to come. I think such milestones are an automatic consequence of focused hard work and a broad strategy, not an end in themselves. Nevertheless, they are humbling and motivating at the same time.
Q. What is the most satisfying part of your current role?
A. Being in the field of research, what is interesting is that no new analysis is comfortable to begin with. We just start with a sense of question and potential impact along with a good sense of methodological approach but have no idea of how it will go along. This sense of uncertainty and the possibility of chancing upon a potentially high impact insight that could have a huge impact on how India and other countries pursue energy and climate policy is exciting and probably the most satisfying part of my work.
Parallelly there is also an insecurity of not being able to deliver on new research, which is unsettling, but in my heart, I always know we are pushing boundaries every single day giving my best there. In addition, as I emphasized earlier, building the capabilities of young researchers in the domain of public policy is something that I cherish.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. I was introduced to both environmental economics as well as climate change at IIFM. These teachings have had a critical role in building my base and to push me to my current position.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles?
A. My biggest influencers have been my PhD guides. It was my good fortune that my PhD was under the guidance of eminent and esteemed Prof. P R Shukla (currently IPCC WGIII co-chair) and Prof. Ravindra Dholakia (former Monetary Policy Committee member) who grounded the intuition of economics and public policy as well as the characteristics of humility and research excellence in me and have mentored me since.
I would advise graduates who have an interest in research roles to have a solid hold on the domain, and a good sense of the research process and purpose.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. IIFM was fun and learning together. Long endless conversations along with parties, group assignments and field trips, all are still fresh. The beginning of the course with a trip to Panchmarhi, our field attachment to the forest department of Madhya Pradesh (with all other batchmates teasing us as they all went to various states like Odisha, Maharashtra, etc. while we were in the same state as the institute, they still do !!), the OTs, running for breakfast and then classes and so on….the list is endless. The influence of IIFM‘s hostel life was so much that I jumped into another five years of dorm life at IIMA, which was another experience of a lifetime with equal fun and learning.
Q. In hindsight, what was the biggest contribution (courses, faculty, library, friends, alumni.. Anything else!!) or take away from IIFM that you think played a critical role in shaping you as an individual or professional?
A. The biggest contribution from IIFM was related to the field trips and stakeholder engagement. It taught all of us a structured way of engaging with people and learning from their knowledge & experience while realizing our privileges, and try to contribute to their lives in most earnest way possible. I have found that process deeply meaningful and it continues to impact my research today. The stakeholders might have changed, but the spirit is same. I ensure that I talk to the stakeholders on ground everytime- be it representatives of the manufacturing sector, mobility/transport domain, investors, bankers, coal and renewable project developers, representatives of the MSME sector, colleagues from media, policy makers at the national and the state level, policy makers from other countries, scientists both senior and budding, and colleagues from the civil society including my colleagues from CEEW leading different domains, as well as any other stakeholder one can imagine. It is only through their perspectives that we can try to see how the future might evolve and the various pathways it could take. IIFM instituted the culture of this engagement process in my approach towards work.
Apart from this, guidance from some of the best and most committed faculty members including Amitabh Pandey Sir, R K Singh Sir, Vinay Sinha Sir, CVRS Vijay Kumar Sir, Madhu Verma Mam, Suprava Mam, among others was nothing less than a blessing. I am quite old school and find the role of ‘guru’ to be most important. IIFM faculty along with some of my teachers at IIMA are completely responsible for where I am today professionally.
Finally, learning and spending time with some of the smartest colleagues of my batch PFM 2001-03 from whom I have learnt so much, both personally and professionally, has been rewarding.
[To the ones from my batch who are reading this and smiling ear to ear- this is not for you, you are not in my list of smartest- my gratitude is for the ones who are quietly smiling like a saint!! ?]
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. I was fortunately a part of almost all the groups in my IIFM batch, in varying degrees, and fortunately after all these years all are good friends with each other which is the best part of my batch. I started listing them for this column, and later realized that I ended up writing the whole batch, so I have deleted that part ?!! Of this long list, the ones who I am in relatively regular touch with are Sudhir, Somu, Indro, Aman, Atanu, Alark, Koyel, Priti, Rohini, Sachin, and Ankur.
Q. As an alumni, what’s your advice to freshers or those are joining IIFM to get best out of the 2 years there?
A. One- I think finding one’s interest is paramount so keep looking out for that. Don’t settle for a boring and routine job if possible. People have different situations, so compromises are a part of life but try getting out of a boring job as early as possible if your economic and family situation permits. Some risks are worth taking, so don’t overthink and just jump in if something excites you.
Two- invest in your capabilities in a methodical way, only regular and conscious upskilling will take you far.
Three- invest in communication skills- written and verbal- it is probably the most under rated skill and most Indians like us don’t have that automatically. Strangely I didn’t realize this even at IIMA, and only the US experience taught me that.
Four- whenever opportunity arises, share your work/write-ups, etc. with others and look forward to learning from the work of others, this is probably the only way we could grow professionally. Others mean the IIFM community, as well as any other community you are a part of.
Fifth- integrity should be non-negotiable. Once in the recent past, one of the top US think tanks that collaborated with us stopped me from presenting my research in front of India’s environment minister (using the logic of ‘unless all collaborators agree….’ This they did after using all tricks in the book aimed at hurting my team’s integrity. I and my colleague persisted. Dealing with this politics was deeply distressing the first time it happened but we just could not bear the thought of our integrity being compromised. So, we still presented the key insights in a smart way in front of the minister that changed the course of India’s negotiation approach and minimized the potential shock on India’s economy 15 years from then (at least in our assessment, and that is why it was also accepted by the policy makers). This had a side-effect too…our relationship soured with the global think-tank as they did not like it. We are still excluded from many high-level initiatives by this think tank, but we always knew that this would happen even that time and as I said, it was all worth it. We won’t go too far if we start giving in to such pressures from various quarters. This means we must keep our eyes and ears open to all that is happening around to understand the realpolitik at various levels, while steering through it without compromising on our integrity.
Finally- a request, not an advice- as many of you will grow and shine in your careers and reach new heights- please don’t ever think or feel that you are too important. Neither I am, neither will you be. None of us is or will always be at a moral high ground, all of us are equally good or bad, smart, and dumb. And if you come across such people (including in the IIFM group), please remind them of this politely, or at times not so politely in the heat of the moment ?! And if someone else reminds you of this, please reflect and accept this graciously if it is indeed the case.
Q. What is your typical day at the office? (We want to know what your day job looks like)
A. There is no typical day but during the week the following elements are a part of my work in varying degrees- ideating and debating on research questions that could address a critical gap, co-creating a plan for pursuing the same with relevant team members, planning and executing strategy and actions at the institutional level along with my colleagues in the CEEW Leadership Group, pursuing efforts to build CEEW‘s modelling team, guiding young researchers in my team on larger research approach as well as modelling related aspects, engaging with various stakeholders across the spectrum for improving my understanding of the constantly evolving dynamics of the sector, writing research reports/papers/other written pieces like op-eds, planning for outreach of research efforts, engaging with colleagues in the philanthropic space & engaging with policy makers and scientists.
Q. And how about weekends, Hobbies, Family and anything else you want to add
A. Watching movies, or any OTT series, catching up with friends and family is what I do on weekends. A visit to any forest or a trek on the Himalayas is always a yes for me if time and other commitments permit. Now a days time is mostly spent being bullied by my 15-month-old daughter. I never realized that kids could be so overpowering!
And something that I can’t resist doing (even if it means leaving niceties and diplomacies aside for the moment) is responding to friends and colleagues who somehow end up thinking that they are on a moral high ground while interacting/commenting in a real or virtual group!! ‘I am at a higher moral ground and know it all’ intellectuals somehow make me deeply uncomfortable.
An important yet unplanned part of my every day is cracking nonsensical jokes. I intend to make it my biggest contribution to the humanity ?!
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors
A. The bar is pretty low for me in movies, I can watch any if it is sufficiently stupid to be hilarious.
My job is reading almost all the time, so no fav books. Excluding books, I read almost anything that I get my hands on. Any 1000- 10000-word article on any topic- water, energy, climate, sports, space, finance, Bollywood (personal fav), wildlife, spirituality, or any other topic- I like reading so anything and everything works! Of late, I have come to really like reading stories from The Ken, fantastic stuff if you like reading about businesses. This is also why I urge colleagues to write and share their thoughts on this and other groups, as various analytical perspectives make our understanding richer. By that, I don’t mean a WhatsApp debate. I mean a coherent 1000-1500 piece write up in which you discuss a relevant issue, a summary of your recent field work or research, an executive summary or abstract, blog, etc.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. I came to hire at IIFM for the first time in 2019. I was shocked (this is indeed the right word) to find that most of the candidates (even in the shortlist on Day Zero) did not know much about the meaningful details related to the Paris Agreement, the UNFCCC process, and India’s energy and climate policy. How can one of Asia’s top climate related think tanks hire if candidates don’t tick the basic knowledge criteria?
I teach a course on Carbon Economics at one of the universities and taught this at NTPC School of Business as well. This would cover the basic science and economics of climate change, energy policy, what and how of carbon pricing & emission trading scheme so If there is enough interest among the institute and the candidates, I would be happy to float an elective for the same. If some of the PhD students are interested in pursuing economic modelling for energy and land use, I would be happy to create a structure for the same. As I have mentioned earlier, CEEW is already doing this for IIT Roorkee and IIM Sambalpur and is actively looking to grow this endeavor as well. Modelling can only be for PhD students, as would take anywhere close to a year of dedicated work to learn the same.
In addition, some of us from 2001-03 batch came together and offered to support an OT on entrepreneurship. Though I couldn’t contribute much to it as the work on net-zero became too heavy given the policy circumstances last year, I am sure that my batchmates are actively looking to pursue this further and I look forward to finding time for this again.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there? What do you think is a positive change and what is not?
A. IIFM was one of the only such institutes in Asia, as we used to say earlier. Now the domain is evolving fast with many competing institutes in Delhi and other places, who somehow know much more about the various aspects of the climate change debate. So that strategic difference that IIFM had earlier is eroding fast, at least in the environmental domain. One has to take cognizance of this and go beyond the domains of microfinance, watershed, etc.
The climate space is expanding faster than one could imagine. As a professional, it is my duty to choose the best candidate for my organization- CEEW. Graduates from IIFM would have to outcompete their peers from other competing institutions in this rapidly growing field. We should never expect any red carpet anywhere in our career. I strongly believe that one can gain market supremacy in the long-run only if one is competitive and brings value that few others can bring, not because of any networks or anything else. High paying jobs in the climate space are getting created across various kinds of organizations. This can’t be a blind spot for IIFM.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. While you could choose anyone from my batch as all of us are lucky to be contributing across various sectors, I am always in awe of entrepreneurs, who put so much at stake and jump in the sea of uncertainties. I could never dare to do so. So I would recommend Sudhir from my batch who started a microfinance firm Mitr in Alwar. Though the company failed when the crisis hit the sector, the journey must have been fascinating. Similarly, another batchmate of mine Soumya Sinha has recently started his enterprise. We can begin with them, and then there is a long queue of all my batchmates ? Broadly, it would be great if we could categorize alumni in some broad categories of entrepreneurs, academicians, consultants, think tank-ers, corporates, etc and have the profiles across batches done accordingly.