Mumbai’s climate action plan missing at COP26

Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition in Glasgow at COP26 Green Zone does not have any actions or proposals undertaken as part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, which is being prepared by BMC

Mangrove conservation, rainwater harvesting, waste-to-energy plants, solar energy projects and electrification of the city’s BEST bus fleet are Mumbai’s highlights at the Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition (GCCAE) in Glasgow, at the COP26 Green Zone.

Mangrove conservation, rainwater harvesting, waste-to-energy plants, solar energy projects and electrification of the city’s BEST bus fleet are Mumbai’s highlights at the Global Cities Climate Action Exhibition (GCCAE) in Glasgow, at the COP26 Green Zone. (Hindustan Times)

However, the exhibition does not contain any actions or proposals undertaken as part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), which is being prepared by the BMC and its consultant World Resources Institute (WRI), India.

The exhibition, organised by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group on the sidelines of COP26, can be viewed virtually at www.global-cities-climate-action-exhibition.virtual-engage.com. It will remain open till the end of COP26 this week.

It features examples of local climate action from 10 other C40 group partner cities, including Auckland, Beijing, Bogotá, Istanbul, Jakarta, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Nairobi, and Washington, D.C.

Mumbai in December 2020 became the sixth Indian city to join this network, following which the city’s civic body began developing the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) using the C40 developed City Inventory Reporting and Information System (CIRIS). In September this year, representatives from state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray’s office had said that a draft version of the MCAP will be showcased by the minister during COP26. HT had reported the same on September 14.

However, the draft version of the plan was not exhibited as part of the GCCAE, despite initial announcements. Environmentalists who viewed the exhibit also pointed out that the examples of local climate action are collectively inadequate at addressing the city’s ecological crises.

“These are not credible examples of climate adaptation and mitigation, as the exhibition seems to make out,” said Debi Goenka, executive trustee, Conservation Action Trust (CAT), a Mumbai-based environment sector NGO. “Electrifying 300-400 odd buses or setting up small waste-to-energy plants is not going to make a dent in the larger problem. It would have inspired some faith if the government had detailed concrete emissions reduction targets, or clarified the specific goals that have been drafted under MCAP. So far, we have not received any news on that. Mangrove conservation is perhaps the most significant action, but it is being done pursuant to orders of the Bombay high court, and not of the government’s own volition.”

Some of these projects were in the pipeline even before the MCAP was conceived, and have not been undertaken as a direct outcome of MCAP. Specifically, the actions presented in the GCCAE include three rainwater harvesting projects at Hindamata, Naigoan police headquarters and Shivaji Park. It also includes installation of 360 kWp of solar power station at BMC’s engineering hub building in Worli, and installation of 820 kWp of solar capacity at Brabourne Stadium by the Cricket Club of India, in partnership with a private power company.

Other examples include the addition of 386 e-buses to the BEST’s fleet, along with plans to add another 1,900 buses by 2023. Small-scale waste-to-energy projects at Haji Ali (inaugurated this year) and Pali Hill (inaugurated in 2018) are also included. Mangrove conservation, which has seen a concerted push from the state government after the HC’s September 2018 judgement, has also been presented as a major step in the city’s efforts at climate action.