Maharashtra’s environment and climate change department on Thursday announced the entry of Nashik into the global Race to Zero campaign, which was founded last December under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Nashik is the first non-metro city in India to join the global campaign to promote carbon neutrality, with Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad set to follow suit in the next couple of months, said officials privy to the development.
The development follows an announcement made in April this year by state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, in a virtual meeting held with Climate Voices - a consortium of three independent environment groups operating in India.
“Cities joining ‘Race to Zero’ will seek to prevent future climate threats, create jobs, and unlock equitable, sustainable growth. These cities must publicly acknowledge and recognise the global climate emergency, keeping climate resilience in line with urban decision making, pledging to reach net zero (carbon emissions) in the 2040s or sooner,” Climate Voices said in a statement.
The environment department in a statement on Thursday also said that Nashik has taken up nine “commitments” which will help it to attain ‘net zero’ status by the year 2040. These include developing ‘complete neighbourhoods’ across the city, where residents will be able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bicycle ride from their homes, instead of having to travel longer distances using motor vehicles.
{{/usCountry}}The environment department in a statement on Thursday also said that Nashik has taken up nine “commitments” which will help it to attain ‘net zero’ status by the year 2040. These include developing ‘complete neighbourhoods’ across the city, where residents will be able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bicycle ride from their homes, instead of having to travel longer distances using motor vehicles.
{{/usCountry}}Nashik also plans to enact regulations that make it mandatory for all new buildings and development projects to operate with net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Under the Race to Zero initiative, the city will “develop financial support programs to incentivise the deployment of building-scale renewables and mandate the use of renewables through building codes,” the environment department said in a statement.
Other commitments include establishing baseline levels of air pollutants to set reduction targets to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. A plan to tackle emissions from the city’s largest contributors is expected to be in place by 2025. The next four years will also see the city attempt to adopt cleaner public transport, with a pilot program for zero-emission buses on the cards during the same period.
The city plans to utilise grants to the tune of ₹20.5 crore, received from the 15th Finance Commission, to reduce air pollution by constructing electric crematoriums and introducing sanitary waste management technologies for the Nashik Municipal Corporation, as unsanitary landfills contribute directly to climate change-associated emissions.
“All waste generated in the city will be collected and residual waste will be disposed of adequately in an engineered sanitary landfill,” the environment department said.
Commenting on these commitments, Nashik Municipal Corporation commissioner Kailas Jadhav said, “Reducing air pollution is a major step towards tackling climate change and adopting carbon neutrality. Under the Race to Zero initiative, NMC will have a much-needed platform that will support our best practices in that regard.”