Release: Bengaluru’s First Ever Climate Action Plan Launched

BBMP in collaboration with WRI India as knowledge partner looks at shaping a safer, healthier and more equitable Bengaluru

Bengaluru, November 28, 2023: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) yesterday launched the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP) in the city with an eye towards achieving net-zero by 2050. As part of Bengaluru’s C40 Cities commitment, the city has been preparing a data-driven, inclusive and collaborative climate action plan – with WRI India as knowledge partner – focused on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and building healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Bengaluru is the second city, after Mumbai, where WRI India has engaged as a knowledge partner in preparing a city-level climate action plan.

Highlighting the importance of a focused and functional climate action plan for Bengaluru, Shri D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, said, “Launching a roadmap for climate action is a strategically significant step for the state of Karnataka. Bengaluru will not only emerge as a lighthouse for other cities in Karnataka and India but will also serve as a global example of inclusive climate action. Over the next few years, the BCAP will be implemented as a multi-sectoral collaborative effort, drawing participation from various departments of the Government of Karnataka, civil society and the private sector.”

Two initiatives were launched at the event:

• Climate Action Cell: This Cell aims to enable stakeholder coordination and resources needed to implement the BCAP. It will be primarily tasked with helping the city agencies turn actions into implementable and bankable projects in collaboration with all partners. It will also ensure that the city is on track to achieve the goals and targets set under the BCAP across all seven sectors in coordination with all stakeholder agencies.
• #BluGreenUru initiative: Blue-Green Infrastructure includes a combination of blue (lakes, rivers, streams and other natural and constructed drainage channels) and green (gardens, urban forests, green roofs, etc.) infrastructure. Blue-Green Infrastructure acts as a buffer for climate change shocks by reducing heat stress, absorbing surface run-off, reducing risk of flooding, etc. Through the Blugreenuru campaign, BBMP is calling upon citizens, community-based organizations, resident welfare associations (RWAs), the private sector and government authorities to participate, contribute and collaborate in making Bengaluru climate resilient by conserving, restoring and integrating the city’s green spaces and water networks.

Over the past years, WRI India has been regularly engaging not just with the local government, experts and officials but also civil society and citizens’ groups, to build a strong network of people who can jointly bolster climate action and promote sustainability and equity in the city. Recently the #Personal2Public campaign, a citizen-led initiative focused on sustainable transport and low-carbon cities was announced, spearheaded by non-partisan citizen group B.PAC and supported by WRI India.

This initiative encourages Bengalureans to make the move from private to public transport (i.e. buses and metro) at least twice a month with the intent of decongesting roads and improving air quality in the city.

At the BCAP launch, school students, citizens and different civic organizations took a pledge to reduce their carbon footprint and adopt the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The young climate warriors gave the much-needed impetus to put the action into climate action by sharing their thoughts on tackling climate change. The event included a melodious performance by local group Bhoomi Taayi Balaga.

The event concluded with an engaging panel discussion that featured environmental stalwarts – Mr. S. Viswanath, Biome Environmental Solutions, Prof. Ashish Verma, IISc, Mr. Ramkumar Narayanan, NASSCOM, Mr. Jay Asundi, CSTEP, Ms. Shobha Raghavan, Saahas, Dr. Ravindra Mehta, Vaayu, and Ms. Seema Mundoli, Azim Premji University (APU). The panel discussion delved into creating pathways for implementing inclusive climate actions in priority areas, such that they deliver maximum socio-economic and environmental co-benefits.

The BCAP offers the city the opportunity to intensify and coordinate efforts to plan and manage its urban growth, in an equitable and climate-aware manner, informed by local conditions, and aligned to the global climate agenda. Bengaluru's built footprint has nearly doubled between 1990 to 2015. Along with this unprecedented growth, comes the task of maintaining and enhancing livability conditions. An increase in GHG emissions and increased loss and damage from climate change induced hazards are just some of the current challenges the city faces.

As part of the BCAP process, the city also conducted its first ever GHG inventory for the BBMP area – compliant to the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC). Additionally, the Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CCRAVA), done under the BCAP, establishes an evidence base for the likelihood of climate change induced hazard risks and the variations in exposure to risks in different parts of the city. These evidence bases and the pathways analysis, are the basis for setting future mitigation (potential to reduce GHG emissions), adaptation and resilience (capability to absorb shocks from climate hazards) targets for the city.

“The Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP) provides a decisive and inclusive stance on climate action, focusing on interconnected actions that are beneficial for people, nature and climate. The solutions the BCAP suggests, to address Bengaluru’s vulnerabilities and strengthen climate resilient growth, are highly data and evidence-based and take into account ground realities based on multiple deliberations with citizens and public agencies,” explained Jaya Dhindaw, Executive Director, Sustainable Cities, WRI India.

The actions identified under BCAP are aligned to seven major sectors – energy and buildings, transportation, solid waste management, water, wastewater and stormwater, air quality, urban planning, greening and biodiversity, and disaster management. While the BCAP summary report was released yesterday, a BCAP full report and the CCRAVA findings will be shortly released by the BMMP. These reports will offer a deeper understanding of the assessments which led to the identification of critical actions.

VIEW RESOURCES TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE BCAP

Summary of the BCAP here – https://lnkd.in/d8mxYpTk

English brochure – https://lnkd.in/dHDeWNFN

Kannada brochure - https://lnkd.in/dRJUjBrQ

"I wish to congratulate WRI India, BBMP and its leadership for initiating and implementing the climate action plan. We have to make this something that is not just global or public, but we have to make it something that is personal, where each and every one of us takes the right steps to make sure that our own personal impact on greenhouse gas emissions on climate change is reduced. And in this manner, we will build a better and more resilient city, a future proof city and a city with tremendous livability.” Prof. Rajeev Gowda, Vice-Chairman, State Institute for the Transformation of Karnataka (SITK), Former member of Rajya Sabha, Member of Brand Bengaluru Committee

“The Govt of Karnataka has already launched people-facing programs which are examples of inclusive climate action such as the Shakti Scheme, for encouraging women to make the switch to public transport, and the Gruha Jyothi scheme that ensures affordable access to electricity. Launching the BCAP is a significant step for the state. With one in seven people in the state living in Bengaluru, the BCAP is going to positively impact not just the citizens of Bengaluru, but many more lives.” Dr. Deepak RL, Zonal Commissioner (West Zone), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)

“Spanning over two years, the preparation of the BCAP was spearheaded by BBMP. It was a collaborative and multi-stakeholder exercise with more than 25 departments and agencies working together to build an evidence base and shape relevant actions. Consultations were also conducted with members of the civil society, academia, practitioners and organizations working closely with communities. Over the next few years, the BCAP will be implemented as a multi-sectoral collaborative effort, drawing participation from various departments of the Government of Karnataka, civil society and the private sector.” Basavaraj Kabade, Chief General Manager & Chief Engineer, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), Nodal Officer of BCAP from BBMP

“The BCAP is an evidence-based fix for the city which understands the magnitude of the problem and then prioritizes the solution. The key is to address the challenges for implementation of the plan.” V. Ravichandar, Civic Evangelist and Member of the Brand Bengaluru Task Force

“So many wonderful people are working in solid waste management, last mile connectivity and tree conservation in this city, we look forward to the government meeting us midway to make things happen!" Usha Rajagopalan, Lake Conservationist, Co-founder, Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT)

PANELLIST & OTHER SPEAKER QUOTES

“The city lacks data on urban greenery and biodiversity, which is crucial to understand its current status, species present, etc. Efforts like the 'Tree Census,' when completed could give us some data. Hence, the priority in this sector should be to collate baseline data. We should also have the Peoples Biodiversity Register (PBR) at the ward level.” Seema Mundoli, Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University

“The fundamental solution to Karnataka's waste challenge is segregation at source. We should refuse mixed waste at source to push citizens to own up and take responsibility for their waste. We also need to have audits, and our solutions need to be decentralized as Bengaluru is a large and expanding city.” Shobha Raghavan, Chief Operations Officer, Saahas Zero Waste

“Air pollution needs collective action. We should stop chasing the so-called silver bullets like fog guns or smoke towers that only work at a very local level or in a closed space. We need to be careful about what we spend our money on, and we must consider solutions that will have long-term consequences and improve our air quality overall.” Jai Asundi, Executive Director, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)

“Less than 2% of the rainwater harvesting potential is being carried out in Bengaluru. The BCAP should be treated as a working document. We must try and improve it and granularize it as we go along, and ensure it is implemented at the ward level. The dominating discourse should also be of climate justice and equity. It's not an environmental issue as much as it's a social issue.” S Viswanath, Advisor, Biome Environmental Trust

“Now with the action plan in place, what we need is the right setup to take it forward. The Climate Action Cell within BBMP is a good start, but we need much more as climate action goes much beyond BBMP's purview. We need the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) to operationalize at the earliest and it should have BCAP as its guiding document (to approve projects).” Ashish Verma, Professor, Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

“Air quality issues affecting all age groups- we have an ageing population with increasing effects due to pollution and climate change. Lung health is an entry point to all over health. It affects heart disease, hypertension, cancer and not just chronic lung disease. Screening a high-risk population – traffic police – has given us some preliminary insights into how air pollution affects not only respiratory health but overall health including hypertension, heart disease and cancer. This is a global crisis with local imprint, and Bengaluru is a lovely city – we need to get our act into shape.” Dr. Ravindra M Mehta, Founder Director of Vaayu Chest and Sleep Services, also serving as the Chief of Pulmonology at Apollo Hospitals Bangalore

“Bengaluru has a cherished history of active citizen involvement in local governance with countless civic groups at city and ward level deeply involved in lake rejuvenation, walkability, sustainable transport and inclusive development. BCAP gives a solid framework to work together to further the greater goals of making our city climate resilient and inclusive for all sections of our society. The Climate Action Cell must leverage the energy of citizens and communities to bring together various departments, to deliver the actions highlighted in the BCAP.” Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow, Integrated Transport & Road Safety, WRI India

“The unique feature of the BCAP is the standardized methodologies it adopted for bringing out the evidence base and assessments which makes it comparable with other peer cities in India and across the globe. The GHG inventory and the Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Assessment must be updated every 2-3 years to re-assess where we are as a city, the impact on actions implemented and whether we need a course correction.” Shrimoyee Bhattacharya, Program Lead, Urban Development, WRI India

“I commit to continue to use public transport. In fact, while doing my solo travels across 15 states thus far, I try and use public transport wherever possible. And I think that sort of philosophy, the really sustainable kind of lifestyles of the past need to be brought back.” Vasanthi Hariprakash, Founder & CEO, Pickle Jar Media

About WRI India:
WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. Our work focuses on building sustainable and livable cities and working towards a low carbon economy. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Know more: www.wri-india.org

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