The City of Dreams, Dreams of Carbon Neutrality

 



Mumbai, one of India's most populous cities, has recently released its first-ever Climate Action Plan,

a significant milestone towards India's carbon neutrality objective by 2070. The Brihanmumbai Municipal

Corporation (BMC) initiated the development of this plan as part of its commitment to creating a

climate-resilient city. Technical assistance was provided by the World Resources Institute (WRI) India and

the C40 Cities network during the vulnerability assessment, greenhouse gas (GHG), and natural green cover

inventory over the past six months. The resulting policy document, named MCAP or Mumbai Climate Action

Plan, adopts an evidence-based planning approach and aims to mobilize resources for strategic projects.


The action plan for 2022 is titled 'Towards a Climate Resilient Mumbai.' Maharashtra is committed to leading India's battle against the impending climate crisis through policy-governance changes and instilling the culture of climate action. The MCAP is designed to fulfil the Paris Agreement's aim of reducing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The MCAP exercise has identified the energy, transportation, and waste sectors as the primary sources of GHG emissions in the city. The exercise has established evidence to help the city set emissions reduction targets.


The MCAP has set targets for reducing emissions in comparison to the base year of 2019. By 2030, emissions are to be reduced by 30%, by 2040 by 44%, and to net-zero reduction by 2050. The plan emphasizes non-motorized transportation infrastructure, zero-emission fuels, decarbonizing the energy grid, building energy-efficient and climate-resilient infrastructure, and promoting low-carbon mobility solutions. The action plan for sustainable waste management has the goal of implementing a strategy that will help achieve zero-landfill waste management.


Moreover, the plan aims to reduce air pollution through the implementation of cleaner technologies, effective regulations, and better monitoring. Maharashtra has experienced a significant increase in both drought and extreme flood events over the last 50 years. The state has developed an ambitious plan to help achieve the COP26 commitment of reducing the economy's carbon intensity to less than 45% by the end of the decade, which will also lead to a reduction of 1 billion tonnes in India's projected total carbon emissions by 2030.


In conclusion, the MCAP exercise has identified specific sectors and strategies that Mumbai will adopt to reduce emissions and achieve its climate goals. The plan emphasizes evidence-based planning, mobilization of resources for strategic projects, and non-motorized transportation infrastructure, zero-emission fuels, decarbonizing the energy grid, building energy-efficient and climate-resilient infrastructure, and promoting low-carbon mobility solutions. The plan also aims to reduce air pollution through the implementation of cleaner technologies, effective regulations, and better monitoring. These efforts demonstrate Mumbai's commitment to creating a climate-resilient city and contributing to India's objective of carbon neutrality by 2070.


-Mohammad Anas Dhorajiwala





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