Mumbai city to achieve net zero emissions by 2050

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has launched the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, the first action plan of any city to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The announcement put the city two decades ahead of India’s national goal and made it the first city in South Asia to set such a deadline.

In a plan announced on Sunday, the government has proposed a wide range of approaches to achieve the climate targets, like urban flooding and water resources management, urban greening and biodiversity, sustainability mobility, and urban mobility for its 19 million residents.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thackeray pitched for sustainable development and said the city’s administrators wanted to provide amenities to the people, but also stressed the need to ensure that citizens lead happy and healthy lives.

The event was attended by Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, Minister of State for Environment Sanjay Bansode and others.

“The climate crisis is no longer an event in the distant future but a reality unfolding in our everyday lives. We need to initiate collective action to safeguard our future with the launch of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan. Mumbai has set the benchmark for climate action in India, “said Aaditya Thackeray, Environment Minister of Maharashtra.

Without intervention, the effects of climate change could cost India 35 trillion dollars over the next 50 years.

Drawing on inputs from officials, citizens, researchers, and companies, Mumbai’s plan lists changes across six domains.

This includes investments in housing, electrifying public transport and more walkable roads, flood-resistant drainage and water conservation, apart from adding open spaces, investing in clean water and sanitation, and rooftop solar capacities.

Taking about the policy intervention, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “the evidence-based policymaking and stakeholder consultations that have led to the shaping of the Mumbai Climate Action plan will help Mumbai become a climate resilient city.”

On Saturday, the Maharashtra government announced that it has allocated 250 crores for the department of Environment and Climate Change in the Budget 2022-23.

In its budget, the government has focused on its e-vehicle policy, with targets to increase the share of electric vehicles to 10 percent of new vehicle registrations by 2025 and the share of public transport in major cities to 25 percent.

The state has also targeted the construction of 5,000 charging facilities by 2025.

Moreover, capital financial assistance will be given for the purchase of 3000 new environmentally friendly buses along with the modernisation of 103 bus stands for the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation.