JOIN US5 Maharashtra cities to join 'Race To Zero' global campaign
Five Maharashtra cities - Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Nashik - are set ot participate in the ‘Race To Zero’ global campaign under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
'Race To Zero' is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that aids sustainable growth.
“It is unavoidable and urgent. We need to make the language simple, take it to the common man, and make it a part of mainstream politics. It also needs to be part of every level of governance, legislation, judiciary, and corporate structure,” said Maharashtra Environment, Tourism and Protocol and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray.
In the last 50 years, Maharashtra has recorded a seven-fold increase in drought events and a six-fold increase in the frequency of extreme flood events, impacting livelihoods across the state. The state also has a high climate risk due to heatwaves and droughts, affecting every sector - from agriculture to industries.
In 2020 itself, Maharashtra has had to pay almost ₹13,000 crore as compensation for weather events related to climate change.
“The livelihood of communities, from coastal areas to hills to farmlands, is dependent on each of these ecosystems, which will be altered by effects of climate change. This might lead to distress and social instability,” Thackeray said at Climate Voices, a collaborative initiative aimed at engaging people in Maharashtra on climate change and amplifying solutions.
Thackeray pointed out that Maharashtra had already emerged as a state leader committed to energy transition and green recovery. “The state is also actively working on energy transition. Our effort must be towards making green energy the new conventional form of energy. We are finding more stable and firm sources of energy and energy storage when it comes to renewables,” he said.