Mumbai’s first-ever Climate Action Plan launched

With Mumbai being one of the high-risk cities to the worst impacts of climate change, the first-ever dedicated Climate Action Plan (CAP) for India’s financial capital was launched on Friday.

State’s environment, tourism and protocol minister Aaditya Thackeray launched the CAP which will ensure better future planning and growth keeping in tune with climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience.

As part of the C40 Cities Network, which Mumbai joined in December 2020, the city is encouraged to draft its Climate Action Plan by the end of 2021 and is doing so in compliance with C40 guidelines and ambitious standards.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is developing the climate action plan with technical support from the World Resources Institute India, engaged as a knowledge partner.

Thackeray also launched the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) website to seek suggestions and inputs from experts and citizens from the city. Citizens will be able to submit their recommendations until 20 September 2021.

The process of finalising action tracks under MCAP is expected to be done and ready by November 2021 closer to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Thackeray said the time for action is now as any further delays would make Mumbai unsuitable to live in over the next decade. “Mainstreaming climate action while implementing Mumbai’s development plan can protect the city’s natural systems, increase resilience capacities of vulnerable groups, and enable resilient urban growth that ensures aggressive reductions to the city’s greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar was present on the occasion.

The plan will focus on six action tracks to introduce sector-specific strategies for mitigation and adaptation that can lead to implementable climate projects that contribute to the city’s resilience.

The six thematic action areas are sustainable waste management, urban greening and biodiversity, urban flooding and water resource management, building energy efficiency, air quality and sustainable mobility.

Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal stated, “There is a need for changing the way we think about development in the current climate change scenario. Coordinated efforts for data monitoring and management, will help us make quick and informed decisions, ensuring the safety of those most vulnerable in our city – Mumbai’s approach during the pandemic has been exactly this.”

As part of gathering data to build the plan, a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for Mumbai was developed using a global standard tool to identify emission reduction strategies for the years 2030 and 2050.

For Mumbai to adapt to changing climatic scenarios, a vulnerability assessment using satellite imagery has been completed to identify critical risk factors.