Maharashtra is highly vulnerable to extreme climatic events, such as floods, cyclones, and droughts. This necessitates a focus on enhancing the state's climate resilience. While the state has majorly been prone to droughts and floods, a noticeable surge in cyclonic events along the western coasts has been observed in recent years. The sub-district climate risk assessment of Talukas in Maharashtra reveals that 78 per cent are prone to extreme droughts, with districts such as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahmednagar, Dharashiv, Jalgaon, and Nashik being the most vulnerable.

Climate change mitigation actions can be taken in two main approaches: reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration in natural systems. Maharashtra has witnessed a significant (80 per cent) rise in emissions over the last fifteen years, reaching 290 MtCO2e. The energy sector is the largest contributor, accounting for about 82.13 per cent of the state’s total emissions, followed by Industrial Processes and Product Use (IPPU - 7.66 per cent), Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU - 6.16 per cent), and waste (4.05 per cent). IPPUs and energy sectors showed rapid increases, with CAGRs of 7.45 per cent and 4.46 per cent, respectively.

Around half of Maharashtra’s population resides in rural areas, with agriculture contributing only 11.9 per cent to the state’s economy. The majority of farmers (79.5 per cent) are small and marginal. To improve livelihoods and quality of life, reliable access to electricity and technological solutions in rural areas is vital. DRE and energy-efficient appliances can enhance the clean energy transition, boost incomes and productivity, offering a significant opportunity for rural-level income generation as countries transition to clean energy. DRE livelihood applications utilise renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, micro-hydro, and biomass, to support income-generating activities.

CEEW’s climatological assessment reveals a nearly twofold rise in hot and extreme heat days in Maharashtra over the last five decades. This directly affects cooling requirements for comfort and productivity, impacting the state’s energy and emissions. Space cooling contributes up to 60 per cent of Mumbai’s peak load, while inadequate post-harvest infrastructure leads to a loss of up to 30 percent of fruits and vegetables in the state. Building upon the India Cooling Action Plan, the following recommendations are suggested to leverage the cooling sector’s mitigation and adaptation potential in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra must build resilience and adaptation for climate impacts while mitigating GHG emissions. For this, climate finance is vital, sourced from national, international, and local sectors across private, public, and alternative sources. Government and public finance play a crucial role in accelerating climate action, as private financing is often limited. Climate budget, expenditure on climate action within the government’s budgetary structure, can accelerate climate finance, attract private investments, and ensure transparent, accountable, and responsible spending on climate action. In Maharashtra, the climate budget for FY 2023-24 is INR 21420 crore, comprising 11.95 per cent of the total state budget. Adaptation activities receive 88 per cent of the climate budget, while mitigation gets 9 per cent, and the remaining funds schemes addressing both. Key sources of climate finance are the state government, the central government, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), and externally aided projects (EAPs).

According to the governance structure of the Maharashtra State Action Plan on Climate Change (MH SAPCC), oversight and guidance are provided by the Chief Minister’s Council on Climate Change. The State Steering Committee on Climate Change, which the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra heads, is responsible for the approval of the SAPCC as an apex body. At the departmental level, the Principal Secretary of the Environment and Climate Change Department takes the lead in spearheading the overall initiatives. These efforts are further concentrated under the Director of the State Climate Action Cell, which has been set up to implement the State Action Plan on Climate Change, channelise the state’s climate change initiatives, address the climate change issues through the relevant line departments, manage relevant projects, identify funding opportunities in collaboration with various government departments, and national and international agencies.

For further details, please refer to the detailed MH SAPCC document here.