Climate change is the biggest problem faced by humanity today. Its impacts extend from the global to the individual level, manifesting through rising sea levels and temperatures, increasing intensity of heatwaves, irregular and unseasonal rainfall, recurrent droughts, and excessive precipitation even in traditionally drought-prone areas. The frequency and intensity of extreme events such as floods, hailstorms, and cyclones are increasing, posing complex challenges to development and livelihoods across the world.
The State of Maharashtra, with its growing population, rapid urbanization, socio-economic and cultural diversity, long coastline, rich biodiversity, and diverse agro-climatic zones, is also witnessing these impacts of climate change. As the state pursues its vision of becoming a trillion-dollar economy, it faces the urgent need to adopt forward-looking policies and measures that enable adaptation to climate impacts and mitigation of their severity.
In order to address these challenges, the Government of Maharashtra has undertaken several proactive measures. Among the most significant is the formulation of the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), which outlines adaptation strategies for sectors such as agriculture, forests, water conservation, water resources, public health, tourism, tribal development and disaster management, along with mitigation strategies for sectors such as energy, transport, industry etc. It also includes relevant provisions to combat impacts such as rising heat levels and associated challenges which is addressed through the state cooling policy based on the national cooling policy, focus on on-ground sustainable clean energy solutions in form of the decentralised renewable energy-based livelihood recommendations etc. Also, recognizing the urgency and need of climate action, the Government of Maharashtra has also integrated climate considerations into the state’s development planning and governance. The establishment of the State Climate Action Cell (SCAC) reflects this commitment to coordinated, evidence-based, and inclusive climate action. The Cell serves as a nodal platform for driving policy, facilitating interdepartmental collaboration, fostering innovation, and strengthening the state’s preparedness for climate risks.
Along with crucial policy-making at the government-level it is essential to ensure robust implementation which can only be successfully realised through participation of stakeholders across all spheres relevant to climate action. Climate change crisis is the biggest challenge faced by humanity in the 21st century. But, since this crisis is man-made, it is also in the hands of humans to solve it. And while many activities and initiatives in this area are slowly gaining momentum, there is now an increasing need to turn this into a full-fledged movement as climate change is affecting the nation on various levels. Thus, addressing climate change requires collective effort - strong, coordinated action at the government and institutional levels, and conscious, responsible choices at the individual level.
