This is the second blog in a three-part series that presents the climate action planning process for three cities in Maharashtra. Read the first blog in the series here.

Despite efforts to enable climate action, a range of obstacles, including challenges of perception, limit their effectiveness. Climate change tends to be perceived as a distant problem, and climate action often takes a disaster mitigation approach. There is a need to shift from this approach, of recovery post disaster, to preemptive risk reduction and resilience building.

A version of this blog was originally published on 14th November 2024 on the International Institute for Environment and Development website. Nature, when combined with the enthusiasm and creativity of children, can transform inner-city wastelands into spaces for people. Nearby trees, parks, gardens, green schoolyards and other urban green spaces are not just ‘nice to have’; they are ‘need to have’ resources for health and wellbeing. This is also the message of a recent UNICEF report.

In August 2024, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India appreciated the efforts made by econsciousTM – a waste recycling start-up based out of New Delhi – in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address. Co-founded by Sonal Shukla during the Covid-19 pandemic, econscious turns plastic waste into furniture and is a prime example of a green enterprise that produces eco-friendly products. Less known are the efforts of Mamta Devi and her venture, Didi ke Papad. Together with her group of 11 JEEViKA didis (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society self-help group members), they use a solar-powered machine to make papad – a traditional Indian snack – and sell them in the largely rural Begusarai district of Bihar.

Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers in India, primarily government-led Anganwadis (early childhood play and learning centers) and primary health centers, provide basic nutritional, learning and healthcare facilities for young children (0-5 years) from low-income communities. While these centers focus on the children’s physical and social development, there is an opportunity to enhance their maintenance and add more comforts and engaging elements. Improving these aspects can encourage caregivers to spend more time in these spaces and motivate families to send their children to the centers.