43 Maharashtra cities to join global ‘Race to Zero’ pollution drive

MUMBAI: Ahead of the climate change conference ‘COP26’ to be held in the UK, 43 Maharashtra cities will join the UN-backed ‘Race to Zero’ global campaign to reduce pollution, announced environment minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday. These AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) cities and urban clusters will strive to prevent climate threats, create jobs, and unlock equitable, sustainable growth.
These cities include Chandrapur, Malegaon, Mira-Bhayandar, Sangli-Miraj, Akola, Satara, Ambarnath, Nanded, Shirdi, Amravati, Solapur, Thane, Badlapur, Jalgaon, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, Panvel, Vasai-Virar City, Kolhapur and Pimpri-Chinchwad, among others.
Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad, Kalyan-Dombivali, Pune and Nagpur already joined the campaign earlier this year. The environment department will undertake a greenhouse gas emission inventory exercise for all the cities and clusters, which account for a floating population of 50 million. Within 12 months of joining, the cities will have to explain what actions will be taken toward achieving both interim and long-term pledges, and commit to report publicly both progress as well as actions being taken, at least annually.
Thackeray made the announcement at India’s Road to COP26 event, part of The Hub Live at Climate Week NYC 2021, and as part of the Global Citizen Live Campaign. “We cannot keep emitting carbon. We don’t have the luxury of time. Maharashtra will set an example of how subnational governments can act on climate change despite being a massively industrialised state,” said Thackeray.
Global Citizen’s co-founder & chief policy, impact and government affairs officer Michael Sheldrick said, “We know halting climate change will require immediate action from everyone. That means state and regional governments have a leading role to play in halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050.”