Accelerating Climate Action in Maharashtra 2.0
Maharashtra contributes to a significant proportion of India’s GDP, is one of the most industrialized states, and is also home to the country’s financial capital. 45.2% of the state’s population resides in urban areas, making it the third most urbanized state in India. The state has 29 municipal corporations, 15 A-category municipal councils, and five regional development authorities. However, it is also among the most climate-vulnerable states in the country, as per the state’s SAPCC. Extreme climate events, coupled with day-to-day urban issues from increasing traffic and vehicular pollution and inadequate housing, water supply, solid waste management, and walking infrastructure, exacerbate the experience of climate change. In response, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra (GoM), in collaboration with WRI India, launched a first-of-its-kind City Climate Action Accelerator Program. This has been part of GoM’s Climate Forward Maharashtra initiative, with the goal of advancing low-carbon, inclusive, and climate resilient growth across 44 cities.
Backed by a landmark Government Resolution (GR), all cities and districts in the state are mandated to create Climate Action Plans (CAPs) and establish dedicated Climate Action Cells (CACs). Building on successful pilots in cities like Mumbai, Nashik, Solapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in this second phase of this program, WRI India will focus on translating policy into on-the-ground impact by:
- Building capacity of cities, ecosystem partners and practitioners
- Facilitating prioritization to prepare a pipeline of urban climate projects, and
- Unlocking finance for urban climate infrastructure projects in the state
Cities of different scales face various issues related to accessing finance in terms of project readiness and ability to deploy funding for project design, preparation and implementation. Through the urban climate projects pipeline for Maharashtra, WRI India seeks to address the gap of bankable climate projects, and support cities and the state in tapping into existing funding and leveraging private finance. Cities must also go beyond disaster response and integrate climate action into existing urban planning practices. Hence, there will be a focus on integrating inclusive, equitable and informality-based aspects into urban climate planning and institutionalizing climate action through governance-led, regulatory and statutory processes.
