Accelerating Climate Action in 43 Cities Across Maharashtra

Accelerating Climate Action in 43 Cities Across Maharashtra Government of Maharashtra join hands with C40 Cities, and WRI India to support 43 AMRUT cities to align their climate actions towards India’s Net Zero goal by 2070.

16 May, Mumbai: The Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, today launched a Climate Accelerator Program with WRI India and initiated a dialogue with the 43 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) cities of Maharashtra to scale up climate action. The accelerator program seeks to mobilize the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient development, through concrete plans, projects and the development of a financing facility in Maharashtra. In addition, the government is also developing a Decarbonization Roadmap Focusing on the Energy and Buildings Sector, with C40 Cities, to support the energy transition at the city and state level.

The launch event was attended by representatives of Government of Maharashtra (GoM), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), WRI India, C40 Cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies, India Climate Collaborative (ICC), Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and SED Fund.

In his opening remarks, Shri. Pravin Darade (IAS), Hon’ble Principal Secretary, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra, said, “At the COP26 summit in Glasgow, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India set a Net Zero target by 2070. In line with this national commitment, the Government of Maharashtra is actively collaborating with different partners to fast-track the climate action agenda in 43 AMRUT Cities. We are delighted to sign a letter of intent with our partners to take forward this collaboration that aims to strengthen the state’s institutional capacities and take sectoral climate action in these cities that consists of more than 75% of Maharashtra’s urban population.”

The objective of the ‘Accelerating Climate Action in 43 Maharashtra Cities’ program is to provide strategic support to Maharashtra’s 43 AMRUT cities for aligning their climate goals with Government of India’s Net Zero target by 2070. Envisioned as an accelerator for city authorities, the program will have three distinct modules - Module 1: Accelerating Action through Mentorship, Training and Capacity Building, Module 2: Accelerating Action through Climate-Oriented Demonstration Projects and Module 3: Accelerating Action through Innovative Financing Support.

Priya Shankar of Bloomberg Philanthropies said, “With its rapid urbanization, India’s cities offer a unique opportunity to be a beacon for sustainable development. To seize this opportunity, cities need training, tools, technical resources, and the ability to work together and learn from each other’s experiences. It is great to see the state of Maharashtra and its cities working together to promote urban development that is good for economic growth, people, and the climate.”

Madhav Pai, CEO WRI India said, “WRI India is working with BMC to take forward the Mumbai Climate Action Plan and is also supporting Solapur, Aurangabad, and Nashik in creating their respective climate action plans aligned with the Government of India’s Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework. We are also supporting the 43 AMRUT cities in Maharashtra in accelerating climate action through capacity building, project development, and innovative financing.”

Shruti Narayan, Regional Director, C40 South and West Asia, said, “The Clean Energy Transition is an opportunity for cities to create jobs, to facilitate economic recovery and to protect health. Indian cities in specific are well placed to lead not only the Global South but the World by demonstrating that this transition is possible in a just way based on tangible energy and building decarbonization roadmaps that are data driven and evidence based aligned to the 1.5-degree targets. We are excited to work with Maharashtra to demonstrate this and to further inspire other cities in India.”

Additionally, the launch event also witnessed sharing of key deliverables of the Maharashtra government’s partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) under the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) initiative. Roisin Green, Head of Strategy, Growth and Partnerships, Global Plastic Action Partnership, World Economic Forum said, “Maharashtra is the first state in India to join the GPAP, leading an example of championing a shift to a circular economy. India has traditionally been a sustainable economy and we hope that through GPAP exchange of knowledge and practices can be promoted. We endeavor to continue to support the government of Maharashtra in achieving the vision of Swachh Bharat Mission.”