The focus of the Institute’s initial collaborative efforts was on climate change and global warming. Later activities have examined other issues in related fields as well.

A workshop was organised as a special event during the DSDS (Delhi Sustainable Development Summit) 2007. It was planned in two sessions.
Session 1 dealt with energy and climate concerns within an international perspective.
Session 2 of the workshop dealt with more Asia specific issues. These two sessions were chaired by Dr RK Pachauri (Director General, TERI and Chairman IPCC) and Dr Adnan A Shihab-Eldin (Former Acting Secretary General OPEC and Advisor to Kuwait Petroleum Corporation) respectively.
Details

A major study on the estimation of GHG emissions and policy responses for their mitigation was undertaken with technical assistance from experts at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo, the United Nations Environment Programme Collaborating Centre, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the United States Agency for International Development.

Five workshops were organized between 1989 and 1993 on different perspectives of global warming.

The proceedings of the first two workshops – Energy Environment Interface in Asia (12–14 October 1990, Jaipur, India) and Developing Countries’ Perspectives for Protecting the Global Commons (26–30 November 1990, Bellagio, Italy) –were brought out as an AEI publication Global Warming: mitigation strategies and perspectives from Asia and Brazil.
Another outcome of the workshops was a collaborative study on Asia’s and Brazil’s contributions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and policy responses for their minimization.
The proceedings of the third workshop held from 21 to 22 September 1991 in New Delhi, India, to review this study were published as Global Warming: collaborative study on strategies to limit CO₂ emissions in Asia and Brazil.
The fourth workshop held from 20 to 24 April 1992 in Bellagio, Italy, continued the review process of the study.
The fifth workshop was held from 19 to 23 July 1993 in Bangalore, India, to finalize a proposal on ‘National Energy Policies: implications of and opportunities from the Climate Change Convention’. This proposal was supported by DANIDA (Danish International development Agency) and a project was undertaken.

The third AEI publication Climate Change in Asia and Brazil: the role of technology transfer was the result of an AEI collaborative study on the transfer of energy-efficient technologies – specifically cogeneration and efficient lighting – in the context of climate change.  This study was supported by USAID (United States Agency for International Development).

A Workshop on Sustainable transportation in four Asian cities was organized from 16 to 17 May 1995 in New Delhi, India.  This initiative was supported by GTZ (German Technical Cooperation Agency).

A conference was held in New Delhi in July 1995 in association with the United Nations University, Japan, Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute, Japan, and Asian Development Bank on Possible areas of cooperation in energy and related fields between Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other Asian countries.

Select AEI institutes have recently completed a study on issues relating to energy security in the Asia–Pacific region.  This study supported by MITI (The Ministry of International Trade and Industry), Japan and JNOC (The Japanese National Oil Corporation), Japan was devided into two pahases.  Phase I, completed in September 1998, involved compilation of regional information on economic profiles, energy demand/supply balances, energy markets, and policies and key energy security concerns for the region. Phase II involves analysis of measures to enhance energy security in the region with a focus on potential suppliers, stockdraw arrangements and demand restraint measures. Issues on regional cooperation, including the possibility of an Asian gas grid, are analysed too.

A study has also been launched on the potential for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Members from Bangladesh, China, Korea, Indonesia, and India are collaborating with the Pembina Institute, Canada, and International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada – recently included as an Associate Member – on this study.  The project is supported by CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), Canada.  Two workshops have been organized in March 1999 and June 1999 to furthen the objectives of the project.

Deployment of sustainable energy systems: an agenda for cooperation is launched as a concerted action carried out by select AEI institutes in collaboration with six European institutes to build and capitalize upon research being carried out in individual countries in Europe, through pooling of expertise for sustainable development in Asia.

Preparation of a paper on global trends and statistics related to activity data, emission factors, and emission estimates. The policies and measures that are being undertaken in developing countries which lead to greenhouse gas abatement are also being assessed.