Centre launches practice based learning program for climate action

New Delhi: The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and World Resources Institute (WRI) India, jointly announced ‘Leaders in Climate Change Management’ (LCCM), a practice-based learning program today.

The aim of the project is to building capacity among urban professionals to lead climate action across sectors and geographies in India.

“To facilitate this face-to-face learning program, the Administrative Training Institute (ATI), Mysuru, also singed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIUA and WRI India, becoming the first delivery partner of the LCCM program” said the Ministry.

According to the statement LCCM envisions capacitating 5,000 professionals, and frontline workers, and preparing them to champion climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions to achieve India’s climate commitments.

“It is most appropriate and fitting that we are launching the (LCCM) program today immediately after the celebration of World Environment Day yesterday. This program is another initiative in a long line of government interventions to not only combat climate change but also to build a new path of sustainable development that fulfils our economic conditions.” said Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.

He said, “In the last eight years, the Modi government has taken many concrete steps in pushing the sustainability agenda forward. At COP26 in Glasgow, the PM announced India’s aggressive agenda on climate change through the Panch Amrit action plan which envisages India becoming a net-zero emission country by 2070.

At COP26 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a five-fold strategy – Panch Amrit – to global leaders, extending India’s co-operation to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius targets.

“The LCCM program, designed and implemented in partnership with the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) and Indian School of Business (ISB), aims to strengthen India’s workforce to achieve this goal” it said.

Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoHUA, said, “To achieve India’s Climate Change goals, we need to have Innovation, Participation, Technology, Integration and Capacity Optimization.

“The first cohort of the LCCM program will have participants from the 12 cities getting assistance under the CITIIS program. LCCM will become an integral part of CITIIS 2.0, as it will act as a capacity-building arm” he informed.

Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs Mr Hitesh Vaidya, said, “Given the rate of investments towards urban sectors in India, for example $30 billion for the smart cities program, the need for incorporating climate action within existing and future investments towards physical, social, and environmental services is paramount to ensure sustainable development.

Dr OP Agarwal, CEO, WRI India, presenting the LCCM program, its structure and its aim to upskill urban climate leadership in India, said, “The key challenge in building capacity for mid-career professionals is using the right kind of pedagogy – a teaching style that encourages learning by doing, rather than by just listening to lectures. The LCCM has fully recognized this and adopted this kind of teaching style.”