Urban Update November 2022

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UrbanUpdate

A monthly magazine published by the AIILSG.

Ranjit Chavan President-AIILSG

Dr Jairaj Phatak Editor-In-Chief Director General-AIILSG

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

Abhishek Pandey Editor

Volume VIII - Issue VII

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Renewed call for climate justice COP27

Early reports emanating from the Climate Conference - COP 27 - underway in Egypt indicate that negotiations between developing and developed countries are getting tougher. The UN Secretary General has reportedly expressed his concerns saying “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger-pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction,” during a press meet at Sharm el-Sheikh. In this strained situation, one area of progress is the agreement by the developed world to bring ‘loss and damage’ to the agenda. Now there is recognition that proactive measures are required to help a country hit by a climate event. While this is a ray of hope, the details are yet to be ironed out amidst difficult negotiations. One hopes that this and the overall matter of financial support to developing nations will get resolved soon and one will get to see real action now. The global emissions and climate impacts are at their highest and are already ‘decimating economies and societies’ as per the UN.

There is a loud call for just and equitable solutions and climate justice to the developing world, to those who have contributed least to the climate crisis and continue to suffer the most. The subject of sustainable energy has found sharp focus once again with calls for a rapid transition to renewables, the ‘exit ramp from the climate hell highway’. India has done very well on this front jacking up the share of renewables in its energy mix significantly and even surpassing the targets promised at earlier climate conferences. There is confidence that we will continue to provide leadership in this space in the future. Surely there must be a deep and sustained commitment to bring about an early end to the regime of fossil fuels and total transition to renewables. This requires the developed world to deliver on its pledge of climate finance support – $ 100 billion per annum. At COP27, the world has renewed its strong calls upon the developed world for this.

Our team brings us more first-hand reports and fresh updates on COP27 in this and further issues of Urban Update. We trust these will be followed with interest.

Yet another significant event during the last few days will have profound implications for policymakers and world leaders. The population of this planet crossed the 8 billion mark on November 15. On the one hand, it is an occasion to celebrate the successes in science and public health that have dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality, and improved life expectancy. On the other hand this is a reminder of the challenges we must jointly face and surmount – challenges with respect to feeding a much larger society, educating and providing livelihoods to growing numbers, caring for the larger numbers of seniors, and very importantly ensuring that these growing numbers do not burden our planet to the point of harm. Governments, policymakers, academia, and civil society all over the globe must ponder over these and work towards achieving transformations in our lives to ensure a sustainable future for us all.

QUOTES

PIN POINT BUZZ

Greta Thunberg Climate Activist @Gretathunberg

Hydrogen-based energy has emerged as the best bet for energy dependent countries. It is the cleanest form of fuel with highest calorific value amongst presently available fuels & will play a critical role in driving a paradigm shift towards a green & sustainable global economy

We should abandon the illusion that politicians will come to the rescue of planet Earth, especially those who delight in calling themselves climate leaders. Time and again they have betrayed the faith that has been placed in them

We are on course for the collapse of the liveable world. There is no time to wait. No more delays

Like this a lot: climate justice involves recognizing and acting on the fact that the marginal impact of activities that produce a ton of greenhouse gas emissions on quality of life is *way* higher in poor countries than rich countries....

Mayors in Countries

Urban TRIVIA

@ClimateHuman

Antonio

Guterres Secretary-General, United Nations @antoniguterres

Unless we change course, the amount of plastic in our ocean could double by 2030. We must break the habit of single-use plastics & accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy

We should spend more than 5% of the military budget to stop irreversible fossil-fueled global heating and Earth breakdown. As a society we are still barely even trying

The name for the head of the Municipal Council is known with different names around the world. In India, it is called the mayor, derived from the old French ‘Maire’, meaning the head of a city or town government. In European countries like Germany, Belgium and Netherlands, a mayor is known as Bürgermeister, Bourgmestre, and Burgemeester respectively. It is also known as Thrompen in Bhutan and Alcade in Spain

Peter Kalmus NASA climate scientist

Hardeep Singh Puri Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs, Government of India

Mike Hudema Climate Campaigner

Charles Kenny Senior Fellow, Centre for global development

Girl Power Project provides marketing support to women entrepreneurs

Effective marketing of products is essential for any business to flourish in the market. It is particularly crucial for new entrepreneurs just starting their businesses and entering the competitive market to establish themselves. It is through marketing that businesses introduce their brand in the market. To a great extent, it determines whether a product stays relevant in the market or gets erased from public memory. Marketing is vital at all stages of a company’s sales journey. It requires using different platforms, social media channels, and internal teams to identify, engage with, increase the voice and build brand loyalty. Markets are responsible for making the economy strong and stable. Marketing has evolved with time since people’s tastes are constantly changing. In a dynamic society, our marketing needs to be

dynamic as well.

One of the least developed states of India, Jharkhand, witnesses a high rate of illiteracy, especially among women, which makes them disadvantaged in terms of getting opportunities for growth and development. The following project collaborates with partners from within the state with innovative models and best practices to build capacities and knowledge of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) by engaging them with social enterprises focusing on women and girls. Also, it will provide skills and competencies for strengthening Self Help Groups (SHGs) and creating social enterprises for empowering women and girls. The rural market is majorly dependent on agriculture. For daily use items, the households are usually self-sustainable. Therefore, the women would need to

TEAM GIRL POWER

Girl Power Project showcasing items prepared by women entrepreneurs in an exhibition

reach beyond their local markets to find a large consumer base for their products. The extra income from the side business could make the women financially independent.

European Union-funded Girl Power Project extends its marketing support to all women entrepreneurs in over ten districts of Jharkhand by promoting their products online and offline. It provides them with a marketing platform by organising a showcasing event at a higher level. It also focuses on market-led enterprise building. This means identifying gaps in the market to anticipate which areas would yield maximum profits, creating quality entrepreneurs for growing the business, and emphasising serving a variety of market segments.

This is in keeping with the socioeconomic profile and skillset of the beneficiaries, that is, the informally employed poor and women with social constraints. The integration aims to support women and girls to have a firm footing in the competitive market. This Diwali season, with the help of the Jharkhand IAS Officers’ Wives Association (JIASOWA), Girl Power Project supported women entrepreneurs from two districts of Jharkhand – East Singhbhumand and

Hazaribagh – to promote their hand made bamboo craft and terracotta products. The event was a success, and women entrepreneurs who participated in this event were motivated to take part in more such events. Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren inaugurated the event. He interacted with all the entrepreneurs from different districts of Jharkhand, creating a sense of enthusiasm among the women. The five-day event was held from October 14 – 18, 2022, at Stall (A21), Morabadi Ground, Ranchi.

THE ExHIbITIOn – An OPPORTUnITy FOR THE nEW EnTREPREnEURS

The women who have now learned to leverage their existing skills to produce finished products are faced with the challenge of finding customers for their products. Consumption within their villages, communities and localities cannot suffice. For the business to yield profits, the reach of the product has to be wide as well. This reach is available in cities which are not easily accessible to these women. The investment of time and money that it demands is often unaffordable for them.

Through this event, the Girl Power Project aimed to provide the crucial service of market linkage, which is essential in turning any small business successful. It helped the women reach various customers and provided them with a platform for advertising their handmade products and promoting their skills on a larger scale.

We know that practical exposure is far more important than learning theories. This exhibition provided practical exposure to women entrepreneurs. It allowed them to establish connections with other women entrepreneurs and learn from their experiences.

Since it takes time to see a business bloom into a successful enterprise, these events can be morale boosters for these women entrepreneurs in the initial days of a business. It builds their confidence and helps them understand the market environment. They will, in turn, motivate other women in their community to start their businesses

or even start collaborations. Most importantly, the exhibition created awareness about women entrepreneurs and their products among people.

CAPACITy bUIlDInG OF WOMEn EnTREPREnEURS

Krishna Dutta and bina Kumari, entrepreneurs from Jamshedpur, displayed their handmade textiles and jewellery. Handicrafts are those goods and items produced by simple tools, technologies and methods rather than being produced at a larger scale where production is mainly mechanised and specialised. Handicrafts can include a range of items such as apparel, jewellery, crocheting, home décor, and religious and traditional items. Crocheting is the art of creating unique textiles which are visually appealing products for use in the home, such as pillow covers, table coverings and clothing items.

Manju Devi from Hazaribagh district showcased her skills in making bamboo craft. bamboo as material for making handicraft items is prevalent in tribal villages of Jharkhand. It has been in the state for a long time, where it finds a suitable climate for growth. The local artisans are masters at their craft and make everyday items such as mats, baskets, containers, furniture items, etc. before participating in this event, women entrepreneurs had no practical experience with such events or market exposure. The exhibit helped them build their capacity by providing them with opportunities for learning and gaining enriching experiences. This event was fruitful in many ways in the lives of our women entrepreneurs.

The event helped them create a market presence and promote themselves and their products at a level that reached a sizeable elite section of the urban population. This platform helped generate awareness and build a network with other nGOs, business houses and entrepreneurs. It also allowed the women entrepreneurs and the Girl Power Project team to study the market environment and create a database of customers.

AIILSG DIAry

To pay homage to former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG) organised a book display event on his birth anniversary, October 15, commemorated as ‘Vachan Prerana Din’. A collection of books written by Dr Kalam and various other authors were put on display to encourage reading habit among people

A one-day exposure visit to Gandtal Harwan was also organised during the planning and implementation training of Jal Jeevan Mission

AIILSG in collaboration with UT Administration of J & K organised a four-day residential training programme for Level-3 Officials in Srinagar, was organised for effective planning and implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission

Thiruvananthapuram becomes 29th Indian City to join Global Covenant of Mayors South Asia

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala: Arya Rajendran, Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, signed the commitment letter to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), thus making Trivandrum the 29th city from India and second city from Kerala to join this global network. The other member city from the state is Kochi.

GCoM is the largest coalition of mayors committed to taking action on climate change. This global network currently includes over 11,500 cities and local governments representing around 1 billion people spread across 142 countries. The cities and partners of GCoM share a long-term vision of supporting voluntary action to combat climate change. Together, they strive towards a resilient and lowemission society.

The signatory cities aim to achieve the ambitious goals ascertained in the Paris Agreement of 2015. The signatory city has to undertake initiatives aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, prepare itself for the effects of climate change, enhance access to sustainable clean energy solutions and lastly, the cities have to track the progress of all the initiatives. Speaking on climateinduced challenges that coastal cities like Thiruvananthapuram face, Binu Francis, Secretary, Corporation of Thiruvananthapuram, said, “Trivandrum has around 28 km of coastal line. We are facing some kind of sea erosion in certain places. The second thing is, it’s a low-lying area which witnesses flooding in the monsoon season. We have a state-level climate action plan and a disaster management plan at the city level which is prepared with many stakeholders. At the larger level, we have a project worth `1000 crore which will mitigate such issues.”

He also spoke about the value addition that knowledge-sharing platforms can bring in our fight against climate change. He added, “Sharing and

getting knowledge of success stories in other cities could be useful. Some of them can be replicated in certain areas. So, experience sharing could be useful in addressing some of the issues collectively.” Through GCoM and local/global city network partners, the Global Covenant of Mayors will offer technical support and training and work with Thiruvananthapuram to plan and implement climate initiatives more effectively. It will provide access to global city data, research and knowledge, harmonised reporting standards and technical assistance in preparing climate action plans as well as increased access to finance. In addition, GCoM’s global research and innovation agenda on cities and climate change will

support cities in developing the science and knowledge needed to help evolve urban areas into transformative agents of change. GCoM-SA will also aim to facilitate collaboration with multilevel governance actors to allow Indian cities to implement the climate action plan in an integrated way, collectively raising global climate ambition to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Indian cities will host 200 million more people by 2030, and two-thirds of India’s buildings that will exist by 2030 remain to be built. The country’s future urban planning and implementation will have a decisive influence on the global climate impact of international efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

World’s first knowledge portal on climate and health

GENEVA: With assistance from the Wellcome Trust, the Joint Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) inaugurated climahealth. info, the first global knowledge portal devoted to climate and health. It is in response to the increased demand for knowledge that may be used to safeguard people from the health risks associated with environmental dangers and climate change. Extreme weather, environmental degradation, and climate change significantly affect human health and welfare.

More people than ever before are at risk for increased climate-related health concerns, including infectious diseases, heat stress, and poor water and air quality.

There’s enormous life-saving potential in specialised climate and environmental science and public health technologies, such as illness forecasting and early warning systems. This new worldwide open-access portal was created to serve as the go-to resource for users of interdisciplinary health, environmental, and climate science.

World Cities Day returns to Shanghai

Urban development dept organises orientation for urban engineers: Odisha

SHANGHAI: Every year on October 31, World Cities Day, which was first observed in 2014, concludes Urban October, which is a month-long series of events highlighting urban transformation and its challenges. Like World Habitat Day, a worldwide celebration is conducted in a different city every year, and the day is centred on a particular subject.

This year Shanghai, China, is hosting the events. António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, has said, “On this World Cities Day, we recognise the critical role of urban areas in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Next year marks the mid-point to the deadline to reach the SDGs. Yet an honest look reveals a bleak picture. […] this year’s theme of World Cities Day highlights how: ‘Act Local to Go Global.’ The goals are global in scope, but implementation is local. And that means implementation happens largely in cities: Today, more than half of all people live in urban areas by 2050, and over two-thirds will do so.” After the global event was launched in the city, in 2014 to showcase the theme of the World Expo 2010 - Better City, Better LifeShanghai is again hosting the Global Observance of 2022 World Cities Day.

In order to develop urban infrastructure that is climate resilient, the Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, on Wednesday, organised an orientation session for the urban engineers of civic organisations in the State. More than 320 engineers who work for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have received training on various technical aspects and SOP for taking on projects under the state government’s transformative urban programmes. G Mathi Vathanan, Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department requested that when working on development projects officials should concentrate on building climate resilient infrastructures.

Sanitation-cumawareness campaign launched in Kashmir ULBs

The ULBs of Kashmir division has launched Sanitation-cumAwareness campaign in all the 40 ULBs as a part of the Jan Abhiyan Initiative under ‘Back to Village’ phase four, a programme launched by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, directed this campaign intending to clean nearby rural areas and water bodies with public participation. Mathoora Masoom, Director, ULBs, spoke about creating awareness among the general public on the 3R Principle of Waste Management.

BrIEfS nEWSCAn

Delhi Airport installs

57 EVs; first one to do so

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a business under the direction of GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited, has installed 57 electric vehicles (EVs) at the airport and in the surrounding areas as part of its effort to reach net zero carbon emission status by 2030. As a result, the Delhi airport is now India’s first airport to deploy EVs within the airport ecosystem. The DIAL unveiled its innovative Green Transportation Program for World Environment Day in June, and these EVs have been put into service as a result.

Draft plan tabled before Kochi Corporation Council

A draft master plan for the city of Kochi outlining the future development and classification of Kochi in different zones was tabled before the Kochi Corporation council on October 28. As per the draft, most of the area of the city will fall into mixed zones, and there will be 18 zones in total. The formation of a master plan is necessary to obtain finance and technical assistance, for which a total of `92.5 lakh has been sanctioned under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

NEW DELHI: The planet’s average temperature has increased by 1.1 degree Cesius since 1850, before extensive industrialisation. But the actual effects of climate change, such as how we debate whether this year was hotter than the last or how some parts of the world are warming more quickly than others, are unclear.

The US-based research and communications organisation Climate Central has created a new online mapping tool called the Climate Shift Index (CSI) that shows how daily average temperatures in more than 1,000 places around the world are affected more or less by global

New Climate Shift Index to map daily temperature shifts due to CC 438 ‘Namma Clinics’ to become functional

warming. The impact of climate change on thermostats across the US could be mapped almost in real-time in June thanks to Climate Central. The index uses data from National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Global Forecast System, presenting the probability of the difference on a scale from -5 to 5, with 0 representing no climate effect. If Miami receives a 5, for example, that day’s temperature is at least five times more likely to occur due to climate change. Or, if Kathmandu is covered in grey at -2, global warming will make the temperature there twice as unlikely.

BENGALURU, Karnataka: Dr K Sudhakar, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka, in Mysuru, said that all the 438 Namma Clinics (Health and Wellness Centres) would become operational by November 8. These Namma Clinics are established in line with the central government’s Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) scheme. With the help of these clinics, the government aims to reduce the burden of patients from the existing health infrastructure. Dr Sudhakar highlighted that around 128 women’s clinics would be set up in the urban health centres where specialists will

provide consultation services. Around 70 per cent of the Group D posts will be filled at the earliest date as staff availability is necessary to maintain hygiene in hospitals. The trauma care centre and super speciality hospitals, which are yet to become operational due to a lack of manpower and equipment, will become operational by the end of this year. The government has begun appointing doctors, nursing and other hospital staff along with procurement of essential equipment. Apart from that, the state government has cleared the proposal to set up sewage and effluent treatment plants in all the government medical colleges.

Children in India facing ‘double threat of poverty & Climate Crisis: Study

NEW DELHI: According to a recent survey, 51 per cent of children in India are experiencing the negative impact of climate catastrophe along with poverty. The report titled ‘Generation Hope: 2.4 billion reasons to end the global climate and inequality crisis’ states that there are about 350 million children in Asia who are suffering from both extreme poverty and climate calamity, including 222 million in India. The report, which was prepared by the child rights NGO Save the Children and climate scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, also states that Cambodia is the Asian nation most likely to experience this “double threat,” with 72 per cent of its children

affected. Myanmar and Afghanistan are next, with 64 and 57 per cent of their children affected, respectively. Children in higher-income countries are also affected by the climate crisis. The study mentions that 121 million children who live in higher-income nations are also affected by poverty and the effects of climate change. Save the Children calculated the percentage of children affected by poverty and children affected by climate risk in 1,925 sub-national regions across 159 nations, accounting for 98 per cent of all children, to estimate the number of children living in poverty and in danger from the climate.

Half of world’s nations lack early warning systems: UN Report

GENEVA: The United Nations has cautioned that, despite the rise in catastrophic weather and climate disasters, half of the world’s nations lack the sophisticated early warning systems necessary to save lives. According to a recent assessment by the UN agencies for weather and disaster risk reduction, nations with weak early warning systems experience eight times more disaster-related deaths than those with robust safeguards. The world is experiencing more natural disasters that have “compounding and cascading implications”. Therefore, countries should be equipped with multi-hazard early warning systems. Poorer regions are the worst equipped even though they are most exposed to climatic shocks and natural disasters. The report states that just one-third of small, developing states and less than half of the world’s least developed nations have multi-hazard early warning systems. According to UN research, from 2012 to 2021, there were roughly twice as many persons affected by disasters, up from an average of 1,147 per 100,000 people per year between 2005 and 2014. But at the same time, the annual rate of disaster-related fatalities or missing persons decreased from 1.77 per 100,000 people in the earlier period to 0.84.

Odisha has been awarded the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) Award 2021, for ‘Best Policy Initiatives by State’ under the special category during the ‘Indian Urban Housing Conclave’ event. The event was held during the three-day Indian Urban Housing Conclave in Rajkot, Gujarat where Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, presented the award. Sangramjit Nayak, Municipal Administration Director, and Mission Director, Jaga Mission, and Debasish Singh, Mission Director, Odisha Urban Housing Mission-AWAS received the award.

Kerala aims for a capital investment scheme; to implement urban reforms

The Government of Kerala has decided to carry out urban reforms by implementing a local area plan, creating sponge cities, and modernizing building by-laws to be eligible for the Government of India’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment Scheme for this year. Under this scheme, urban reforms are one of the components for which financial assistance is provided to the state governments. Urban reforms also include the implementation of transit-oriented development and the adoption of transferable development rights. According to the government’s guidelines, Kerala is eligible to get central assistance up to `500 crore under urban reforms component of the scheme.

Odisha wins PMAY-U award

BrIEfS nEWSCAn Bhubaneswar to fine violators for not following two-dustbin rule

Wildlife Population declines globally by 69%: WWF

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued an order to all the waste generators under its jurisdiction to keep two proper sized dustbins within their premises and store dry and wet waste in separate dustbins. The corporation has warned that a penalty of `5000 will be imposed on those who fail to follow the norms. Not handing segregated waste to the waste collection vehicles will lead to a fine of `5000, an order under section 343(a) of the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act 2003.

Hyderabad wins ‘World Green City Award 2022’

NEW DELHI: According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report, the world’s wildlife populations have decreased by more than two-thirds since 1970. Population sizes have decreased by 69 per cent on average, according to the analysis that used data from the Zoological Society of London from 2018 on the state of 32,000 wildlife populations comprising more than 5,000 species. The main causes of the loss were found to be deforestation, human exploitation, pollution, and climate change. The state of Latin America and the Caribbean was particularly bad, with a 94 per cent decline in wildlife populations in just five decades. According to the

findings, between 1994 and 2016, one population of pink river dolphins in the Brazilian Amazon experienced a 65 per cent decline.

The results showed that wildlife population levels were still declining at a pace of roughly 2.5 per cent annually, which was consistent with the findings of WWF’s most recent assessment in 2020, Terry said. To address the grave issue, delegates from all across the globe will assemble in Montreal in December to chalk out a new global plan of action to safeguard the planet’s flora and animals. Increased funding for international conservation efforts is perhaps one of the biggest demands.

Hyderabad has won the overall ‘World Green City Award 2022’ and ‘Living Green for Economic Recovery and Inclusive Growth’ at the International Association of Horticulture Producers (AIPH) World Green City Awards 2022, held in Jeju, South Korea on October 14. It is the only Indian city to get selected and win laurels on the International platform. It beat cities like Bogota, Paris, Mexico City, Montreal, and Fortaleza to be declared the grand winner. Its a matter of pride for the state said, K Chandrasekhar Rao, Chief Minister, Government of Telangana, expressing his happiness.

Metropolis Mumbai 3.0

to include slums like Neral-Karjat

MUMBAI, Maharashtra: Around 50 per cent of the slums in Mumbai could be accommodated under the Metropolis Mumbai 3.0, which would include Neral-Karjat, Panvel and Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) project. The NAREDCO Progressive Neral-Karjat began an inexpensive metropolis initiative aiming to supply reasonably priced houses along with the corrective infrastructure exercise. Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, highlighted that the Government of Maharashtra is taking all the necessary steps to provide

mandatory infrastructure facilities to the citizens. He added further that all the tasks could be completed by 2023, and the authorities are aiming to create Neral-Karjat, Panvel and NAINA as Mumbai 3.0.

The initiative aims to provide enhanced connectivity to the people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Additionally, four lanes of Kalyan Badlapur could be extended to Karjat station. Earlier, a report titled ‘Brick by Brick: Reimagining Inexpensive Mumbai’ highlighted the huge demand-supply gap for affordable housing in the MMR region.

The housing models costing less than `25 lakh were in high demand, with 67 per cent of registered focus.

While models costing between `25 – 50 lakh recorded 13 per cent demand, models above `50 lakh recorded 20 per cent demand.

ULBs in MP collected only 60% of property tax in 5 yrs: CAG

BHOPAL: In the midst of the dispute between Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), a report claims that the urban local bodies (ULB) only collected 60 per cent of property tax during the five-year period from 2015 to 2020. According to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the financial state of urban local bodies of Madhya Pradesh,

the average collection of Property Tax for the period 2015–20 was 60 per cent of the total demand. Between 2017 and 2020, the collection fell from 69 to 45 per cent. As of March 2020, certain selected Urban Local Bodies had `269.66 crore that needed to be collected. Only 123 urban local bodies, or 30 per cent, underwent a GIS survey. Only Raghogarh and Seoni, out of the 12 selected Nagar Palika Parishads, and Sultanpur, out of the 17 selected Nagar Parishads, collected service charges in place of property taxes. Further, the report mentioned that collection from water charges of 33 ULBs had gone down from 29 to 15 per cent during 2016-2020. On March 2020, a total of `375.40 crore of water charges was pending in these ULBs. Moreover, none of the surveyed ULBs had placed water metres for water connections.

FSTP improves septage management in Giridih

GOI ratifies Delhi delimitation report

GIRIDIH: Giridih Municipal Corporation with State Urban Development Authority’s (SUDA) support has made significant progress in creating septage treatment infrastructure at Motileda. The Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (52 KLD) started operation in June 2022 under Giridih Municipality to create a Faecal Sludge Management model which can be replicated in other towns. It is in alignment with the national mandate to address onsite sanitation systems and septage management. The excreta from every household in the city will be collected by vacuum trucks provided by

civic bodies. The collected material will be transported to the plant through the prescribed route. This can be treated and sold to farmers as fertilizer. The twophase treatment – slug treatment and superintendent treatment - will make all the harmful elements present in the septage ineffective. The water from the treatment will be used in horticulture, vehicle washing, construction work, etc. Then the remaining solid matter will be used as manure for agricultural purposes. This scheme started to provide citizens with basic facilities. It aims to cater to nearly 20,000 households in the city council area until 2032.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, through a gazette notification, has ratified the delimitation exercise of municipal wards in Delhi. With this, the way for local body elections has been cleared, which were postponed in April 2022. The gazette notification reads that the national capital will be divided into 250 wards, out of which 42 will be reserved for the Scheduled Caste candidates. As per the Press Trust of India (PTI), the final delimitation report was submitted by the committee to the MoHUA on October 17.

Delhi

Govt fined `900cr

for bad waste management

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of `900 crore as environmental compensation for failing in the management of municipal solid waste. NGT noted that “citizens cannot be faced with an emergency situation due to lack of governance.” NGT bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that around 80 per cent of the legacy waste stored in the landfill sites of Delhi, Gazhipur, Bhalswa and Okhla, has still not been remediated. These landfill sites cumulatively hold 300 lakh metric tonnes of waste.

CIty IMAGE

Staying cool without air conditioner

OUR ExCESSIVE DEPENDENCE on industries and technology has given rise to climate change, and contributed heavily to increase of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Air conditioners are well-known energy guzzlers and emitters of harmful gases into the atmosphere. In this scenario, experts are increasingly appreciating and relying on traditional knowledge systems to replace today’s ecologically unsustainable practices. Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, is one such building which is using a traditional, non-technological way to keep cool in the heat. Being inspired from indigenous Zimbabwe masonry and termite mounds, it’s designed in a way that the temperature stays regulated all the year round, while only using a tenth of the energy used in any other building.

Robots will be used for manhole cleaning in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, announced that robots will now be used for cleaning manholes across Mumbai. The announcement came during the inauguration of the Clean Maharashtra Mission 2.0. Various ministers and officials from the Government of Maharashtra, including Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, were also present during the inauguration ceremony at Yashwantrao Chavan Foundation, Main Auditorium. In this exhibition, urban local bodies across Maharashtra gathered to showcase their cleaning and safety equipment that is being used for sanitation. The Bandicoot developed by Genrobotics was the key highlight of the exhibition. The robotic scavenger is being used by Ullhasnagar and Dhule Municipal Corporation for the maintenance of manholes in their area of jurisdiction. It is equipped with gassensing technology to detect hazardous gases, thus minimising the risk of accidents inside manholes. The robot emerged victorious in the Swachhta Start-Up Challenge for being the best innovative solution to eliminate manual scavenging in September 2022. The challenge was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. It is also being praised for its efficiency as it can clean around ten manholes in a day while a manual scavenger can only cover one or two.

Puducherry: Policy to rescue & rehabilitate street children

PUDUCHERRY: The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), Government of Puducherry, has come up with a policy for the rescue and rehabilitation of street children. The policy promotes direct participation by the District Child Protection Unit, non-governmental organisations, volunteers, Childline India, and other stakeholders in identifying hotspot areas. Based on previous learning and experiences, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in discussion with Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation, has developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to rescue and rehabilitate street children. The policy defines street children as those

living without support, children who ran away from their families and are living on the streets or living with a family, and children who go back to their families after work.

The framework of the SOP will include minimum standards of care and protection of the children, access to foster care, and sponsorship as per requirement. The Department of Women and Child Development will be the nodal agency and will ensure all the district collectors’ effective implementation of the SOP. The responsibility will be given to the urban local bodies, municipalities, and commune panchayats to identify hotspots and ensure proper data collection.

Karnataka secures 6th position in PAI 2022

The state of Karnataka has taken the sixth spot in the Public Affairs Index (PAI) 2022 rankings, released on Friday, October 14, by Public Affairs Centre (PAC), a Bengaluru based think tank. Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were the top three performers in this index. PAI evaluates the performance of the states on the basis of 22 indicators grouped into three themes: economic justice, political justice and social justice. Karnataka has been grouped with the poor performing states in sectors like governance while in terms of social justice the state has been ranked 10th.

Govt of Delhi raises minimum wages

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has increased the minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers ahead of Diwali. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has said that this will provide them with relief from inflation. The revised wages are applicable from October 1. According to a statement from the Delhi government, wages for unskilled workers will rise from `16,506 to `16,792, from `18,187 to `18,499 for semi-skilled workers, and from `20,019 to `20,357 for skilled workers.

NGT imposes `3,800 cr fine on Telangana for waste management failure

HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a fine of `3,800 crore on the Government of Telangana for failing to treat solid and liquid waste generated in the state as mandated by the Supreme Court order in 2017. In 2017, the apex court had given a deadline of April 2020 for all the states to establish the necessary facilities to treat all the solid and liquid waste generated in the state.

The bench also asked the state government to form an operative mecha-

nism with the help of which service providers can execute their work concerning solid and liquid sewage waste management across all the districts, cities and towns at the same time. The court added that the Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, can designate a nodal officer at the Additional Chief Secretary rank who would monitor and assess the progress of solid waste management in the state. As per the order of NGT, the restoration measures include establishing sewage treatment and utilisation facilities, enhancing the capacity of existing sewage treatment plants, ensuring the compliance of standards regarding decal coliform and establishing sewage and sludge management facilities in rural areas. Additionally, the Chief Secretary should file a biannual progress report with verifiable progress on the issue.

UP: Four more ULBs to issue municipal bonds

LUCKNOW: More municipal organisations in Uttar Pradesh (UP) will use the capital market to pay for costs associated with development projects. Following the lead of Lucknow and Ghaziabad, other civic bodies will also issue municipal bonds now. Varanasi, Kanpur, Agra, and Prayagraj Municipal Corporations have been given the go-ahead to begin the bond issue preparations by Amrit Abhijaat, Principal Secretary, Urban Development in UP. These bonds would be between `100 and `100 crore in size and lodged with financial institutions. Abhijaat said that the civic bodies needed money to enhance infrastructural facilities and continue work on various initiatives in these cities. Mahamilind Lal, the Financial Controller of Jal Nigam, has been assigned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh as the nodal officer for the bond issues. For floating bond issues, municipal corporations would enlist the assistance of the nodal officer. Credit rating firms have also been asked to provide municipal corporations with a credit rating. The UP government had permitted the municipal corporations in Lucknow and Ghaziabad to issue bonds in 2019, which were highly successful. These corporations were then rated by companies that the Securities Exchange Board of India has approved.

Kochi needs to strategise to combat Climate Change

There is an urgent need for Kochi, which, being a coastal city is more vulnerable to rising sea levels, to come up with a strategy to combat the effects of Climate Change, according to Sarada G. Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self-Government Department, Government of Kerala. Civic bodies must go beyond routine administrative tasks and put up visionary plans while working to raise their own funds. If there is concentrated effort, she noted, modern garbage treatment systems, slaughterhouses, and litter-free public spaces are easily achievable.

UN Chief Guterres’s message on the occasion of World Habitat

Day

On World Habitat Day, Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General shared his message on the rapid and unplanned urbanization worsening many of the challenges faced by people. He said that the number of people living in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing is rising every day. World Habitat Day’s theme for this year is ‘Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind’, which highlights the fact of the widening inequalities across the world. UN Chief emphasised on innovative solutions to address inequalities, to ensure adequate shelter for all and tackle climate challenges.

President felicitates winners of Swachh Survekshan 2022

NEW DELHI: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, felicitates the cleanest states and cities during an award ceremony held under the title Azadi@75 Swachh Survekshan 2022 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, held the award distribution ceremony on October 1 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi. The event also celebrated eight years of the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched in 2014, and the first anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0. During the celebration, the states/ union territories (UTs) and towns and cities that have achieved excellent results in the field of cleanliness and sanitation received the Swachh Survekshan 2022 Awards and certificates for Garbage Free Cities (GFC).

Murmu launched the Swachh Survekshan 2022 Dashboard and presented around 12 awards. Indore, the city of lakes, again emerged as the ‘Cleanest City’ in the country for the sixth consecutive year in the ‘more than 1 lakh population’ category. Surat emerged as the second ‘Cleanest City’ in the same category for a second time in a row, followed by Navi Mumbai in the third place.

In the ‘less than 1 lakh’ population category, Panchgani from Maharashtra came first, followed by Patan from Chhattisgarh in the second position and Karad, again from Maharashtra, was placed in the third position.

Tirupati from Andhra Pradesh was awarded the best city in the Safai Mitra Suraksha Challenge, and Haridwar in Uttarakhand was declared the best Ganga town in the ‘more than 1 lakh population’ category. On the other hand, Shivamogga in Karnataka received the fast mover city award.

Indore was also declared the first

7-star Garbage Free City in India. Similarly, Surat, Bhopal, Mysuru, Navi Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam and Tirupati received the 5-star Garbage Free certification.

Surprisingly in the state-level awards, Madhya Pradesh was declared the cleanest state in India in the ‘more than 100 urban local bodies’ (ULB) category pushing the state of Chhattisgarh into second place. For the last three years, Chhattisgarh has occupied first place. The coastal state of Maharashtra emerged as the third cleanest state in India.

In the ‘less than 100 ULB’ category, Tripura emerged as the top performer pushing Jharkhand into the second position, which was winning the cleanest city award for the last two years. The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand became the third cleanest state in this category.

This year, Swachh Survekshan recorded the participation of 4,355 cities and collected feedback from over nine crore people, while last year, it was only five crore. Out of 22 states

and five UTs awarded this year, eight states received more than ten awards each. On the other hand, eight states and five UTs have shown improvement spanning between five to 25 per cent compared to their overall performance last year. Similarly, four out of the eight northeastern states have shown considerable improvement.

Additionally, 10 Cantonment Boards (7 last year) and 2 Ganga Towns have been awarded this year. Smaller cities with a recorded population of less than 25,000 have admirable performance securing around 40 awards.

The Star Rating Protocol was launched in 2021, aiming to evaluate the performance of the cities based on solid waste management parameters. Around 3,600 cities have applied for the assessment this year, while only 2,238 cities applied last year. There were 11 five-star cities, 182 three-star cities and 218 one-star cities in this year’s assessment which highlights the aspiration of cities to attain Garbage Free City status.

415 million people uplifted from poverty between 2005-06 to 2019-21: UNDP

NEW DELHI: According to the latest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, 415 million people in India were uplifted from poverty between 2005-06 and 2019-21. According to the report, “Sustainable Development Goal target 1.2 of reducing at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions by 2030 is possible to achieve and at scale.”

India has the world’s largest population of poor people, 228.9 million, followed by Nigeria, based on population data from 2020 (96.7 million projected in 2020). Despite advances, the COVID-19 pandemic’s

adverse impact on growth and rising food and energy costs continue to threaten India’s population. Despite enormous progress, it will be difficult to eradicate poverty for the 228.9 million poor people in 2019–2021, especially as the number has probably increased since the data collection.

In 2019–21, there were still 97 million more poor children in India than there were poor people overall, including adults and children, in any other nation, as per the global MPI. However, the data doesn’t cover changes after the pandemic.

According to the research, 1.2 billion people live in acute multidimensional poverty in 111 nations. 593 million of these people, or 50 per cent, are under 18. The study examines the prevalent deprivation profiles among 111 emerging nations. The most prevalent profile, affecting 3.9 per cent

of the poor, involves deficiencies in all four indicators: housing, sanitation, cooking fuel, and nutrition. Over 45.5 million people are poor in only these four parameters. According to the report, this group is primarily South Asian, with 34.4 million living in India, 2.1 million in Bangladesh, and 1.9 million in Pakistan.

In rural areas, 21.2 per cent of the population lives in poverty, compared to 5.5 per cent in urban areas. Nearly 90 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas; 205 million of the world’s 229 million impoverished people reside there, making rural areas a clear priority. In India, the researchers noted that more than one in five children (21.8 per cent) are poor, compared to roughly one in seven adults. This equates to 97 million underprivileged kids.

India is the only country in South Asia where families headed by women are much more likely to be poor than those headed by men. In female-headed homes, 19.7 per cent of the population lives in poverty, compared to 15.9 per cent in male-headed households. A woman is the head of one in every seven households, meaning 39 million people live in poverty.

According to the report, India’s decrease in MPI value remained propoor in absolute terms as it had been from 2005-2006 to 2015-2016. Rural areas had the lowest MPI values and were the poorest. In rural areas, the prevalence of poverty decreased from 36.6 per cent in 2015–2016 to 21.2 per cent in 2019–2021, and in urban areas, it slipped from 9 per cent to 5.5 per cent. The MPI value decreased the fastest in children, the age group with the most poverty. Children’s poverty rates decreased from 34.7 per cent to 21.8 per cent, and adults’ poverty rates dropped from 24 per cent to 13.9 per cent.

India reveals its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy at COP27

strategy stresses ensuring low-carbon municipal service delivery through resource efficiency and management of water, solid and liquid waste.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Bhupendra Yadav, Minister for Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India, submitted India’s Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) on Monday, November 14, during the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Last year during COP26, the Prime Minister of India introduced the longterm goal of India, that is, becoming a net zero country by 2070. Apart from that, four other updated nationally determined contributions introduced that day include reaching 500 GW nonfossil energy capacity by 2030, meeting 50 per cent of energy requirement through renewables, cutting projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes and reducing emission intensity by 45 per cent at 2005 level, all to be achieved by 2030.

Key elements of the LT-LEDS strategy include the low-carbon development of electrical systems in India, the development of integrated, efficient and inclusive low-carbon transport and industrial systems and the promotion of energy and material efficiency in buildings. Apart from that, the strategy also focuses on CO2 removal and related engineering solutions, increasing forest and vegetation cover while keeping in mind the economic and financial

aspects of low-carbon development for the country.

The first key element of the LT-LEDS strategy includes several sub-elements such as expanding renewables and strengthening the grid, exploration and promotion of low carbon technologies, demand side management, rational use of fossil fuel that does not compromise the energy security of the country, and lastly, determining green taxonomy and optimum energy mix. The second key element is greening the transport sector, especially road transport, including passenger and freight, which have the lion’s share with a massive 92 per cent in the transport sector’s total emissions. LT-LEDS strategy encourages improved fuel efficiencies, a phased transition to clean fuels, and model shift towards less polluting modes of public transport. It also includes electrification across different modes and traffic management.

For the sustainable development of urban systems in India, this strategy aims to mainstream adaptation measures in the built environment, promoting resourcing efficiencies in system guidelines, policies and bylaws. The strategy also seeks to introduce the elements of climate resilience in the building design and construction of all future urban systems. Along with it, the

Reducing carbon emission from industrial system LT-LEDS aims to increase the use of natural and biobased materials, fuel switching and use of electricity in the manufacturing sector as far as possible, enhancing material efficiencies and recycling, thus strengthening the concept of the circular economy. Green hydrogen technology and low carbon sustainable growth of micro, small and medium enterprises have been given due stress in the strategy.

For the development of CO2 removal technology, the strategy seeks international support in technology transfer, financial support and cooperation in research and innovation.

The country’s commitment towards the conservation and promotion of biodiversity is also included in the LT-LEDS. It also includes restoration, conservation and management of the plant, animal and microbial genetic resources and trees outside forests and simultaneously strengthening the institutional framework in the states concerning this sector.

However, the strategy makes it very clear that the country’s commitment towards transition towards a low-carbon economy should not compromise energy security, energy access and employment opportunities, thus following the principles of climate justice that India stands for. India recognises that climate change is a global problem and all countries should come together in times of crisis. But global climate action should be based on the principle of equity and the concept of common but differential responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) enshrined in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC).

UMI holds discussion on efficient urban transport

KOCHI, KERALA: Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2022 was held in Kochi from November 4-6, 2022. Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India, and Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan jointly inaugurated the event on November 4, 2022.

The theme of ‘Azadi@75 –Sustainable Aatmanirbhar Urban Mobility’ was the main focus of the UMI Conference Cum Expo 2022. The discussions were focused around making transport in cities efficient and sustainable. The conference’s main goal was to enlighten the cities and keep the attending officials up to date on the most cutting-edge and effective urban strategies being used throughout the world. This is related to the government’s National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP) 2006, which places a heavy emphasis on developing

state and local capacity. Innovations in the field of technology have led to more cost-effective alternatives for medium sized cities like Metro Neo and Metro Lite instead of traditional Metro Rail. The desired end goal of all these developments is ultimately minimising the need and use of personal transport in favour of public transport. Towards this end, the event saw participation of national and international experts from urban transport sector.

The event was organized by the MoHUA in collaboration with Government of Kerala at Hotel Grand Hyatt Kochi, Kerala. Participants at this event included senior policymakers from the central and state governments, CEOs of transportation companies, managing directors of metro rail companies, and international experts, professionals, academicians, and students. The three-day conference had 10 technical sessions, five round table discussions, one conclave, two plenary sessions, and eight research symposiums.

The Expo at the 15th UMI Conference focussed on local people’s transportation and numerous developments in this area. From Chennai to Delhi, all of

Urban Mobility India Conference & Expo

the nation’s Metro Rail Corporations had booths set up for the event. In a session on ‘Climate Change and Urban Transport Impact,’ discussions included greenhouse gas emissions, challenges before electric vehicles, etc. Drawbacks of electric vehicles, including the lack of parking spaces and charging stations, were also discussed.

Hardeep S Puri acknowledged that other nations’ best practices and lessons have been included into the Indian Urban Mobility Systems and remarked that we have been able to learn from their experiences. Regarding the rapid development of Indian metro lines in global context, Puri stated that as of September 2022, 810 km of metro lines are operational in 20 cities and a network of more than 980 km of metro network and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) is currently under construction in 27 cities. At present, India has the fifth-largest metro network in the world, and will soon overtake advanced economies such as Japan and South Korea to become the third-largest network.

Loknath Behera, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, in a message said, “After the operationalisation of

UMI Conference cum Expo 2022- Award Winners for Excellence

Award Category Project

♦ Most Sustainable Transport System Ahmedabad Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)

♦ Best Public Transport System Modernized & Sustainable City Bus Service Initiatives, Navi Mumbai

Kochi Metro Rail in 2017, the city is going to witness the launch of the world’s largest fleet of batteryoperated passenger boat under single command – Koch Water Metro. Now, the effort is to have an intermodal integrated transportation system in the city of Kochi – ‘one card for all public transport.’”

A total of eight sessions took place on day three, including four research symposiums on topics like, ‘Smart City, Smart Mobility and Sustainable Urban Freight’, ‘Public Transport and Non-Motorised Transport (NMT)’, ‘Traffic Engineering’, and ‘Safety and Emissions’.

In the first session of the concluding day, the topic of discussion was ‘Future Fuels’ which focused on alternative ways to reduce overdependence on fossil fuels for transport in the urban

context with technology and policy adaptation. The session was chaired by Ravi Prakash, Director of Urban Transport, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, and moderated by Abhijit Sarkar, ExSecretary (State Transport Authority), Delhi. The second session centered around the topic of ‘Multimodal Integration’. The session had an extensive discussion on integrated multimodal mobility in cities and the ways to promote people-oriented sustainable transport systems in urban areas. This session was chaired by Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Lohia, Senior Advisor (Rail and Urban Mobility), World Bank.

Round table sessions were also held on subjects including ‘street for all’ and ‘sustainable transport developmentfocus on E-Mobility’. The day also witnessed a plenary session on ‘Urban Mobility- Vision 2047’.

An award ceremony also took place where the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) won the ‘Commendation Award’ in the ‘Metro Rail with the Best Multimodal Integration’ category. On the concluding day, Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan who was the Chief Guest for the evening expressed his satisfaction with the conduct of the conference and stated, “I hope it led to the sharing of experiences and generation of new ideas that would help create sustainable Aatma Nirbhar Urban Mobility.” Apart from these awards three other prizes for best research paper were distributed during the Conference. First prize was given to Furqan A Bhat, IST Lab, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and second and third prize were given to Ubaid Illahi, IST Lab, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Sarah Alexander, Centre of Excellence in Urban Transport, CEPT University, respectively.

www.urbanupdate.in

COP27, Global Dialogues must enhance urban engagement

To fast-track local climate actions, the role of cities and local governments and their representations should be at the centre of climate dialogues. Urban representation in COP27 was trifling. This year, COP27 had a dozen thematic days; ironically, none was dedicated to cities, despite the fact, 70 per cent plus GHG emission comes from urban centres. Urban representation globally and nationally must be enhanced in such events for effective long-term impacts

COP27 is over, and it ended on a progressive note with the agreement to create a Loss and Damage Fund. The developed countries will contribute to this fund, which will be used to pay for the damages and losses incurred in developing and vulnerable countries because of the negative impacts of climate change. The details of the fund and how it will be used will be revealed in the COP28 in Dubai based on the recommendations of a transitional committee. COP27 was a two-week event but was extended for two more days to reach a consensus on the Loss and Damage Fund.

Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said, “We have determined a way forward on a decadeslong conversation on funding for loss and damage – deliberating over how we address the impacts on communities whose lives and livelihoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change.”

Abhishek pAndey | Editor

COVER STORY | Conference of Parties 27

‘Loss and Damage’ in this context means economic and non-economic costs suffered by vulnerable countries because of extreme weather events like cyclones, floods, drought, etc. These countries have suffered for no mistake of theirs. Historically, many developing countries had a negligible contribution to cumulative GHG emissions. Yet these countries have suffered damages and incurred losses because of weaker safeguards. The Loss and Damage fund will enable these countries to access funding from this pool to repair the damages, support the communities that suffered, and plan for mitigation and adaptation so these nations are prepared for the impending climate crisis. The countries have not just incurred financial losses comprising livelihoods, lives, houses, and agricultural land but also paid for intangible losses like culture, loss of biodiversity, etc. Thus it has been a long-pending demand from poor countries.

CITIES TO BE AT FOrEFrONT IN WAr AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

The fight against climate justice is one in which all countries are together. The rich, the poor, and the developing do not matter, as the negative impacts of climate change are affecting one and all. And everyone needs to put collective efforts into mitigation and adaptation. This year Conference of Parties in Egypt also underlined the urgency to take corrective measures soon to arrest the global temperature rise. The conference was extended by two days to agree on the Loss and Damage fund issue.

From COP1 (1995) in Berlin to COP27 (2022) in Egypt, GHG emissions have risen, and so has the global temperature. According to Our World in Data, the cumulative GHG emission was around 33.81 billion tonnes in 1995. Today, it is 50 billion tonnes. Nothing much has changed. Of course, the global population has increased by almost the same proportion. Despite actions on the outcome of these events, like countries around the world moving to

sustainable energy resources, adopting circular economy, and making their industrial operations energy-efficient, the progress is not encouraging; at least the changing climate and its impacts tell that everything is not right.

In his opening speech, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue and made a bold statement that the world is on a “highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.” He added: “It is the defining issue of our age. It is the central challenge of our century. It is unacceptable, outrageous and selfdefeating to put it on the back burner.” Indeed, scientific evidence suggests that the issue of climate change cannot be ignored at any level. The nations are making commitments to reduce emissions on a larger scale, but the role of local governments cannot be sidelined in this war.

With more urban centres coming up everywhere, GHG emission in cities is bound to grow further. Buildings and transport are among the most prominent sectors which need transformational changes to reduce emissions. Cities can help the world put off the foot from the accelerator leading the world to climate hell because both these sectors, in most countries, are governed locally. National governments can make a broader policy decision on reducing emissions, but local wisdom and governance strength must be optimally utilized. If cities take concrete steps to reduce emissions, they will improve urban air quality and protect citizens from serious pulmonary diseases.

To do this, urban engagement must be enhanced so city leaders can talk about operational issues and suggest pragmatic solutions to complex problems related to climate change on global and national platforms. If the cities are not engaged in decisionmaking, achieving the targeted objectives could become problematic.

In a statement, Sadiq Khan, London Mayor, said, “We (cities) can achieve net zero carbon by 2030 and keep the crucial goal of 1.5 degrees within reach if city mayors and citizens are

empowered to play a central role in future COPs. Cities are the doers — and now we need the delayers to join us.” COP27 had about 11 thematic days this year: Finance Day, Science Day, Youth and Future Generations Day, Decarbonisation Day, Adaptation and Agriculture Day, Gender Day, Water Day, Ace and Civil Society Day, Energy Day, Biodiversity Day and Solutions Day. None of them specifically focused on cities. However, there was an important session during Solutions Day on Housing and Urban Ministerial on Cities and Climate Change, “The road from COP27 to WUF12”. It included the launch of the Sustainable Urban resilience for The Next Generation (SUrGe) initiative and a ministerial panel discussion on urbanization and climate change. The event aimed to enhance synergies between urban stakeholders and climate. Under this initiative, it was acknowledged that there is limited recognition of local-level action at the national and global levels. It underlined the lack of local climate financing, the need to strengthen the local capacity to address climate issues effectively, and the inequality at the local level so that vulnerable groups are not disadvantaged during climate crises.

INDIA’S NDC AND LIFE – LIFESTYLES FOr ENvIrONMENT

India updated its National Determined Contribution (NDC) under Paris Agreement and submitted it to UNFCC in August this year. The first addition in the updated NDC was: “To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation, including through a mass movement for ‘LiFE’– ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ as a key to combating climate change.” Another update was: “To reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 per cent by 2030, from 2005 level.” It is important to note here that India is on a fast track to fulfilling its commitment. As of 2016, the nation had reduced its emission by 24 per cent. It had committed to reducing 33-

35 per cent by 2030. Another important update in the submitted NDC was a shift to 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from nonfossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.

Indian Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav led the Indian delegation to COP27. When back in India, he highlighted the global acceptance of the LiFE Mission. He said, “At COP26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shared his vision of LiFE – Lifestyles for Environment as a key approach to promoting sustainability and combating climate change. Since then, much work has been done to translate this vision into a plan of action. Mission LiFE was conceptualised to take forward this message to the global community.

The cover decision of COP27, called the Sharm el-Sheikh implementation plan, notes the importance of the transition to sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production for efforts to combat climate change. India seeks to involve a billion people in this global mass movement of Mission LiFE. We made a start with several LiFE-related events at the India Pavilion during COP27. One immediate task ahead is to create a LiFE compendium of global best practices on sustainable lifestyles. This will be a comprehensive repository containing best practices from around the world.” Like any mission, the LiFE mission will be successful with people’s participation, and for this, local governments in cities and villages need to reach out to citizens.

India also pushed for phasing down fossil fuel in this COP, but it did not get specific mention in the declaration. The nation has also taken steps in adapting to climate change and creating carbon sink with strategic interventions, but there are challenges. India is wellpositioned to take a global leadership role in ensuring that committed climate financing reaches needy nations.

Indian cities can also leverage the opportunity as the way the Indian government has aligned its climate actions, primarily focusing on clean

From COP1 (1995) in Berlin to COP27 (2022) in Egypt, GHG emissions have risen, and so has the global temperature. According to Our World in Data, the cumulative GHG emission was around 33.81 billion tonnes in 1995. Today, it is 50 billion tonnes. Nothing much has changed

technology, allows municipalities to streamline their operations. Suppose urban operations in the areas under urban local bodies in India become energy-efficient. In that case, it will not just help India’s work on its NDC but also improve the financial conditions of the municipalities as a large chunk of their budget goes into paying energy bills. Cleantech generally means a range of products or services that reduces environmental impacts by improving energy efficiency by increasing optimal usage of resources and eliminating or purifying emissions and waste materials. This adoption includes renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, hydro, etc., the technology used in green buildings, and high-tech Ev technologies, among others.

Cities need to shift to clean technology alternatives immediately and should take the help of organisations which can help them access green climate funds. For that, cities will have to come out with innovative project proposals which are sustainable, reliable and financially feasible for long-term operation. The funds are available, but the cities must steer their activities in the right direction. It can happen with enhanced exposure to the knowledge available in the domain, learning from peers and sharing their experiences with the world. Not just the existing cities, such an approach could be beneficial for the new cities and towns. They can chart their development in a sustainable, inclusive and resilient way and be prepared to face any crisis.

NeariNg a climate apocalypse

The rise in global temperature from the pre-industrial era caused by the increased usage of fossil fuels led to the emission of 22 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 1990. Currently, the world emits over 50 billion tonnes of CO2 each year, bringing significant changes in our environment. The recent annual carbon budget report released at the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) reminded us that despite repeated warnings about the need to cut off global emissions by the climate scientists, the emissions are still on the rise in contrast to what the governments have promised to work upon

Compiled by Team Urban Update

Source: World Bank, Carbon Brief, International Monetary Fund, World Inequality Report 2022, Our World in Data

Leaderspeak | Urban Engagement in Climate Dialogue

Cities, climate change & COP27

Cities emit about 70 per cent of Green House Gases and contribute 80 per cent to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It means urban operations, including industrial and commercial operations being operated from cities, need to realign themselves to make cities energy efficient and resilient because the impacts of climate change will affect cities the most, and they need to be prepared

Cities are important for any nation because they play a significant role in bringing prosperity to a nation. The concentration of activities in cities makes them energy guzzlers and the biggest emitters, but no nation can progress without cities. The best thing the countries can do is make their urban operations efficient and sustainable. The unprepared cities and local governments will face disproportionally high consequences of changing climate. Cities will also have to accommodate climate migrants if they are not directly affected by the negative impacts of climate change. Poorly-planned and unsustainable urbanization and natural capital erosion contribute to climate change.

LoCAL governmenTS And CLImATe ChAnge

All of us have heard global experts on climate change that the world has to take immediate action to arrest global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees from preindustrial levels. The world has already become warmer by 1.1 degree than in 1880. The fundamental question is: Are our cities ready to take action to mitigate and adapt to climate change?

The answer is complicated for many cities, even in developed countries, but it becomes more challenging for cities in developing countries devoid of technology, capacity and resources. The

problem becomes more severe in small cities in developing countries as many of these are not even aware of what kind of problem they will face if they do not act now.

This is one of the main reasons many Tier II and Tier III cities in India cannot act quickly enough to mitigate climate change or adapt to its challenges. Another reason is the priority. When the city faces service and infrastructure issues, the first priority would be to address and provide immediate relief to citizens. For example, if a city does not have electricity or has an erratic supply. The focus of its elected representative or municipal official would be to provide an uninterrupted electric supply to its residents so that they can go about their daily lives comfortably. The question of renewal or sustainability would not be a priority because it is a matter of subsistence.

Similarly, cities and their residents in developing countries will always see climate change or the issue of sustainability as a secondary concern, especially when they would have to prioritize their actions for alleviating poverty, providing better services to citizens, and addressing inequality. Cities, especially those not having exposure to global knowledge and transitioning from rural to urban, need support from all urban stakeholders to chart their development trajectory

Ranjit S Chavan | President, AIILSG

in the right direction. Suppose these cities and towns cannot manage the primary urban stresses like lack of affordable housing, fractured access to essential civic services, and water and air pollution, nations may find it challenging to achieve the desired goals, including net-zero and Agenda 2030. This is an opportunity for the developed world, national governments and local government associations to enable these urban local bodies to solve their existing problems sustainably. If they are provided with guidance, the cities could make the right choices which will not be detrimental to their sustainable growth but also affect the overall progress in the global fight against climate change.

CITIeS & emISSIon

Like the developed world has historically contributed most to ghg emissions, the same is true for cities. According to a recently released report by the World Bank, ‘making Cities green, resilient, and Inclusive in a Changing Climate’, cities in highand upper-middle-income countries have the highest fossil Co2 emissions per capita, and those in low-income

countries have the lowest. Indeed, in 2015 average per capita emissions in cities in high-income countries were almost 18 times higher than those in low-income countries. In contrast, those in cities in upper-middle-income countries were more than 21 times higher. higher average per capita emissions in high- and upper-middleincome cities also translate into higher shares of global urban Co2 emissions. In 2015, these cities accounted for nearly 86.00 per cent of all global urban Co2 emissions. Cities in lowermiddle-income countries contributed almost 13.00 per cent, and cities in low-income countries were less than 0.20 per cent.

It becomes obvious that cities with high emission rates must work on both mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, the major work in low-emitting cities is on adaptation. They also need to learn from cities in high-income countries how to develop without following high-emitters’ path.

It becomes obvious that cities with high emission rates must work on both mitigation and adaptation. At the same time, the major work in low-emitting cities is on adaptation. They also need to learn from cities in high-income countries how to develop without following high-emitters’ path. In the same way, governments must study the impact of low and high-density development and its effect on CO2 emission. Many researchers have suggested that compact city development is favourable and reduces overall GHG emissions

In the same way, governments must study the impact of low and highdensity development and its effect on Co2 emission. many researchers have suggested that compact city development is favourable and reduces overall ghg emissions. As compact cities are more walking and cyclingfriendly, access to transportation is easy, and vertical development leaves more land for greenery. The example of highrise buildings and dense vegetation in many prosperous cities shows how compact cities could be the future.

It is becoming increasingly crucial that cities invest in research and development to choose the correct option in housing, transportation, and development type. Aping other successful cities cannot be a solution because every region has advantages, strengths and limitations. Cities also need to devise creative and innovative solutions in almost all spheres, like affordable housing, building technology, sustainable materials in construction, provision of energy-efficient civic services, and, last but not least, urban governance and management. City governments will have to become vital to take firm decisions.

Cleaning the coal power technology Cleaning the coal power technology

India separated itself from the rest of the developing countries by pledging to go net zero by 2070 during the COP26 held in Glasgow, UK. That day amongst the five goals outlined by the Prime Minister of India, one talks about achieving 50 per cent of the power generation through renewable sources by 2030. Currently, around three-fourths of India’s power needs are fulfilled through fossil fuels

The data published by the Ministry of Power (MoP) shows that as of September 2022, the capacity of fossil fuel-based power plants in India stood at 57.9 per cent of the total installed capacity, while renewable sources, excluding hydropower (11 per cent), has an installed capacity of 29 per cent. But when it comes to actual power production, fossil fuels produced 75 per cent of the total electricity produced

in 2021-22, while renewable sources produced only 12 per cent (Central Electricity Authority).

Such dependence on fossil fuels results in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As per the 2020 annual report published by the European Union, India was in the third position, following China and America in terms of total CO2 emissions. The report says India’s emissions stood

aRTICLE | Thermal Power Plants

PushPender singh | Trainee Reporter

at 2411.73 MT CO2 in 2020. The report titled ‘India Energy Outlook 2021’ published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) projected that India’s power demand would grow by five per cent yearly. So, the government aims to fulfil this demand increase by increasing power production through renewable sources.

THE GOAl dOESn’ T COvEr

IEA report foretells that even in 2030, India’s 59 per cent of electricity would still be coming from coal and natural gas-based plants even though their share in total installed capacity would come down to around 38 per cent. down to Earth reports that Coal-fired power plants in India add as much as one gigatonne of CO2 to our environment every year and 50 per cent of all fuel-related CO2 emissions of the country. They are also responsible for 2.5 per cent of global GHG emissions and one-third of India’s GHG emissions. But our International nationally determined Contributions (INDC) approved on August 3, 2022, do not address this issue.

According to data from MoP during 2012-13 and 2022-23, India’s total power generation saw an annual average growth of 5.2 per cent, which coincides with the growth of power generation from fossil fuels during the same period. The data clearly shows that the usage of fossil fuels in power generation is not dropping. It is rather increasing, and so does India’s emissions.

It is not that the country has not done anything to change its sorry state of Thermal Power Plants (TPP). In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced a new set of emission norms for power plants in India. The initial deadline for compliance with these norms and installation of Flue Gas desulphurisation (FGd) units was in 2017 and extended to 2022 for plants in Category A. While the deadline for Category B and C power plants was pushed to december 2023 and December 2024, respectively.

lACk OF rElIABIlITy And SUSTAInABIlITy OF rEnEWABlES

renewable energy in India has been witnessing six per cent of average annual growth during 2012-13 to 2021-22, and solar power is leading in the race amongst renewables with an installed capacity of 14.9 per cent of the total installed capacity, followed by wind with a share of 10.2 per cent. However, it should be noted that even though the renewable sector has an installed capacity of 29 per cent, it is producing only 12 per cent of India’s total power, showing that renewable is not a reliable and sustainable source of power. Apart from that, the lack of domestic production of solar wafers and polysilicon for photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules makes India extremely dependent on imports. This adds to the country’s current account deficit, as solar modules cost as much as 60 per cent of the total cost of any solar power project in India. Mint reported that in 2019-20 India imported solar cells and modules worth $1.6 billion, while in 2018-19, the import bill stood at $2.16 billion.

Another challenge before the renewable sectors is the low Energy Return on Investment (EROI). According to the Corporate Finance Institute (CFI), an energy source should have an EROI score above seven to be called a viable energy source. While PV cells have an EROI score of 2, wind turbines have a score of 4. On the other hand, the conventional source of energy has much higher scores. The gas turbine has a score of 28, coal has 30, hydro 35 and nuclear 75. This reflects the difference between the installed renewable capacity and their actual power production.

The major challenge faced by renewables is price competition with coal. As per the global data, India is ranked second in coal production in terms of volume, with a total production of 766.9 million tonnes, followed by China. domestic production makes it much cheaper than any other imported fuel. Apart from that, there are other challenges like land scarcity, as per

Coal-power plants in India add one gigatonne of CO2 to our environment every year and 50 per cent of all fuel-related CO2 emissions. They are also responsible for 2.5 per cent of global GHG emissions and one-third of India’s GHG emissions.

capita availability of land is low in India, and transmission and distribution losses.

WAy FOrWArd

Along with curating an ecosystem that fosters the growth of solar power in India, the country needs to treat its TPP, especially the coal-fired TPP, which is responsible for over 50 per cent of SO2 emissions, 30 per cent of nitrous oxide emissions and 20 per cent of particulate matter pollution. But we cannot shut down our TPP as they produce 75 per cent of our electricity. Therefore, cutting emissions from these power plants with the help of modern technologies like FGd should be our priority.

Communist China has been a twinkling example of the success of FGd technology. down to Earth reports that between 2006 and 2010, usage of FGd technology in China soared from 30 per cent to 87 per cent, and in 2015 it reached 93 per cent. Consequently, emissions from TPP, 93 per cent of which consist of coal-based power plants, have been reduced by 38 per cent, and nitrogen oxide (nOx) pollution has dropped by 42 per cent since 2012. This could serve as a lesson to India.

As per the World Population Review, China operates over 1,100 coal power plants. India, on the other hand, operates 285 coal-fired plants. So, India could also reduce its emission from TPP provided that concerned authorities ensure stringent compliance with emissions norms and timely implementation of technological solutions.

Can Earth feed 10 Billion in 2050?

World’s population has recently hit eight billion, according to the United Nations, a new benchmark for humankind. It has been projected that the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion in the year 2100. A projection that threatens the world food supply as a ‘farming-asusual’ approach could make us run out of food by 2027.

An increase in population will raise the bar for consumption habits, put pressure on food, land, and water shortages, and reduce resilience to fight against climate change.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), we will need to produce 60 per cent more food to feed a population of 10 billion by 2050. As the population is expected to increase mostly in developing countries, production in these countries would need to almost double. FAO report predicts that the production of several key commodities like annual cereal production would have to grow by one billion tonnes and meat production by over 200 million tonnes to reach 470 million tonnes in 2050. To keep up with the projected

Climate change had an adverse impact on agriculture. And the same way, unsustainable agriculture practices have contributed to climate change. To balance things in the long term and ensure enough food on the table for all, nations have to adopt sustainable agriculture practices and watch their actions closely

IndranI PrIyadarshInI | Trainee Reporter

population in the near future, an increase in agricultural production needs to run parallel with it. 2.6 billion people are dependent on agriculture as their only source of livelihood. It is one of the most powerful tools for economic growth, improving food security, and helping reduce poverty.

Unlike the pros, agriculture is one of the major contributors to global warming. About 30 per cent of total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions come from agricultural activities, mainly from the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and animal wastes. To increase production, farmers either increase the farmland to grow crops or enhance agricultural productivity through fertilizer and irrigation on existing lands. With a growing population, the demand for food and the intensification of unsustainable farming practices will increase emission rates exponentially. It also contributes a major portion of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide emissions from crop and livestock activities, impacting the sustainability of agricultural production systems.

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI), 11 per cent of global greenhouse emissions is due to agriculture which has risen to 14 per cent since 2000.

China was responsible for most global agricultural GHG emissions from 1996 to 2016, followed by India, Brazil, and the United States. According to a World Resource Institute report, India and China’s agricultural production emissions have increased since 2000 by 16 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively.

With an increasing population and growing food demand, will agricultural production be able to match the projected food demand by 2050 sustainably?

The answer can be yes, depending on the significant steps and challenges that must be implemented immediately. To start with the basics:

SHIFT TO SUSTAINABle dIeTS

Consumption of ruminant meat has been projected to rise, which are resource -intensive to produce and

requires 20 times more land. It also emits 20 times more GHG per gram of edible proteins than common plant-based proteins.

NO WASTAGe OF FOOd

Wastage of food occurs all along the food chain, from field to plate. A WRI report has stated that approximately one-quarter of food produced goes uneaten. Therefore, actions can be taken by improving food storage in developing countries, setting reduction targets, and streamlining expiration labels.

INCReASe FOOd pROdUCTION WITHOUT expANdING AGRICUlTURAl lANd

Future yield growth in different crops will need to be higher to meet the food demand. With new advances in biology, additional yield gains can be made available cheaper and faster to map the genetic codes of plants, improving crop breeding.

With an increasing demand for animal-based foods, boosting pasture productivity can be an important solution. Governments can support farmers with financial and technical assistance and with proper veterinary hospitals.

CURBING GHG emISSIONS

One of the major issues to tackle is GHG emissions from agricultural production from livestock farming, rice cultivation, and energy use and application of nitrogen fertilizers. By 2050, GHG emissions are projected to rise from seven to nine gigatons per year or more. Of these emissions, the largest source is cow burps or enteric methane. A full-grown cow can release up to 5000 litres of methane per day, and with more than a billion cows on this planet, approximately 3.7 per cent of all GHG emissions account for this.

A diet rich in maize, garlic and barley can reduce methane levels in cows and show substantial impact by dietary supplements.

By 2050, the world must be able to

By 2050, the world must be able to feed more people nutritiously, ensure agriculture contributes to poverty reduction and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of farming. All these goals need to be pursued simultaneously, exclusion of others will lead to failure to achieve any of them

feed more people nutritiously, ensure agriculture contributes to poverty reduction and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of farming. All these goals need to be pursued simultaneously, exclusion of others will lead to failure to achieve any of them.

India is one of the highest contributors to GHG emissions and one of the most populous countries in the world. last year, it did not sign the Sustainable Agriculture policy Action Agenda at the Conference of parties 26 (COp26) summit. This agenda is to set a course of action to prevent biodiversity loss and protect food systems against climate change. However, India has a similar mission for sustainable agriculture within the National Action plan on Climate Change.

Some of the ways India can prioritize making Indian agriculture resilient and sustainable and also prepare itself for 2050 by adapting agro-ecological approaches, conservation agriculture practices such as no-till farming and crop rotation, which could be very helpful in reducing GHG emissions, and organic farming that involves crop cultivation can be practised among others.

Since we are still 28 years from 2050 and predictions can only shed light on the future, we can still be hopeful and act accordingly with proper action plans. much will happen between now and then, which we cannot predict.

Climate Action & Economic Growth Balance the Scales

The benchmark year for calculating the global rise in temperatures is 1850, roughly when industrialisation began to spread in Europe. Machines like steam engines and power looms revolutionised the industry. Surplus production meant surplus wealth. With the spread of capitalistic values in society, government intervention in the market was minimised and the roles of individuals increased. For individuals, profit motive is paramount and amassing of wealth is the goal of all enterprise. But in all this, climate didn’t make it to the list of our priorities. The result was Climate Change. Any further neglect may cost us our lives

It has taken a long time for the world to finally wake up and notice that climate change is real and happening in real-time. It is not a distant possibility anymore but a grave threat we face today. The conversation surrounding climate change has moved outside of conference halls and global echo chambers into the front page of the

newspapers. The resulting noise has put the spotlight on accountability on the authorities. People are also catching up with the trend and trying to support environment-friendly practices. But the pressure for climate action has also given rise to flaky promises and halfhearted actions from those in power.

Greenwashing is the latest fad that Climate Change has given rise to. It shows how businesses are adapting to protect their interests by performing tokenistic gestures towards climate action. But the truth remains that we need a structural overhaul to make a perceptible dent into the accelerating vehicle of climate change. We need to fight capitalism and climate change to save the planet.

EConomIC groWTh fuEllIng ClImaTE ChangE

The World Inequalities report 2022 comments on carbon inequality around the world. The rich nations with high gross Domestic Product (gDP) are invariably the ones with maximum greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions, while the poorer nations have lesser emissions. according to Emissions gap report 2022, China, uSa and India are the top three countries with the

AyeshA sAeed | Reporter

highest ghg emissions. But to be fair, the populations of China and India are much bigger than the uSa moreover, China overtook uSa as the highest emitter only in the early 21st century. Its emissions have grown in tandem with the economy. as far as per capita emissions are concerned, uSa is still at the top followed by russia and China.

Even within countries, there is inequality in per capita carbon emissions amongst different economic groups. for instance, in India, while the average ghg footprint of the whole population is 2.2 tCo2e/capita, the top 1 per cent produces 32.4 tCo2e/capita, and the bottom 50 per cent produces 1.0 tCo2e/capita.

Clearly, global trends suggest that the biggest contributors to climate change are also the richer ones of the world. So, all of this begs the question - can a capitalistic society really afford to take actions that genuinely and drastically cut emissions and, in turn, limit economic growth as we know it today?

lord nicholas Stern, Ig Patel Chair of Economics and government, london School of Economics, cochaired the Independent high-level Expert group on Climate Change at CoP27, has acknowledged a clearcut relation between economics and climate change. In an interview published in the Times of India, he said, “The challenge before us now is achieving strong, systemic change in a short period of time. This involves fundamental structural shifts in the big systems of energy, transport, cities and land. It demands very rapid technical progress and driving down cost curves through scale and discovery. on the whole, economics has looked at small

changes so far and not at such huge systemic transformations.”

ECo-frIEnDly IS noW faShIonaBlE

It is difficult to expect much from private enterprises or international climate summits when Coca-Cola, known as the worst plastic polluter for the past five years, is one of the sponsors of the 27th Conference of Parties (CoP27) being held in Egypt. This kind of hypocrisy has been termed ‘greenwashing’, where businesses promote sustainability via smart marketing techniques. In another instance of greenwashing, mc Donalds introduced paper straws in 2019 which turned out to be non-recyclable. let’s come closer home to India. nestled in the concrete jungles of noida and gurgaon, there are multiple real estate with ‘green’ and ‘forest’ as a suffix. Stamps of ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘100% natural’ on plastic nonbiodegradable plastic packaging are all too common now.

governments find themselves under pressure to take the climate seriously while also keeping up the gDP growth of the nation. They have floated ideas such as carbon taxing, planting trees, subsidising renewable energy, promoting EVs, etc. all of this conveniently fits into the status quo and gets manoeuvred around by big businesses, which still get away with continuing harmful practices on a large scale.

The problem with such reforms is that profit remains the priority of private enterprises, which will always find ways to circumvent such regulations. We need governments that don’t shy away from taking unpopular decisions, which may even seem antithetical to the ‘ease of doing business’ model. Keeping the global rise in temperatures below 1.5 degree Celsius before 2030 (according to the famous Paris agreement in 2015) is a longshot but still manageable target. But only if we take drastic measures and completely restructure our present economic model.

a socio-economic restructuring, in

Greenwashing is the latest fad that Climate Change has given rise to. It shows how businesses are adapting to protect their interests by performing tokenistic gestures towards climate action. But the truth remains that we need a structural overhaul to make a perceptible dent into the accelerating vehicle of climate change. We need to fight capitalism and climate change to save the planet

real terms, can only be brought about through an iron-strong collective political will. governments, state actors and bureaucracies have the agency needed for this restructuring. governments around the world today aren’t behaving any differently from privately owned businesses. The measures being proposed by the states are mainly owing to international pressures and changing public perception towards climate change, not because it is a need of the hour. Policies for Climate action need to be impactoriented. We need more climate accountability from government policies and businesses alike.

ClImaTE fInanCE - a BEgInnIng for ChangE

There is no doubt that the few wealthy nations of the world owe the rest of the world for the damage they caused in terms of historical emissions. The demand for compensatory funds by developing countries is justified and needs to be met. We must understand that Climate action is an expensive but essential business. We must come to terms with the fact that true Climate action will take a toll on gDP and economic growth. only a radical change can save the planet.

One On One | Binu Francis, Secretary, TMC

In the world of conflicts, Thiruvananthapuram is aspiring to become India’s first ‘City of Peace’. The corporation has also included the objective in its draft master plan 2040. It would achieve the target by rolling out projects for the welfare of all, reducing the chances of conflict among citizens, and providing a peaceful and liveable environment for all. To discuss more about Thiruvananthapuram development paradigm, the state of urbanisation in Kerala, including building smart cities, contours of urban governance and planning, local area planning, climate change, and city finance, Abhishek Pandey, Editor of Urban Update, spoke to Binu Francis, Secretary, Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. Excerpts from the interview…

Thiruvananthapuram aspires for tranquillity, peace

welcome to one on one session of urban update. cities are growing out of proportion everywhere, especially in south asia. by 2030, most of the population in developed, underdeveloped, and developing countries will live in cities. but Kerala is uniquely positioned to have good infrastructure facilities in rural areas. it is most unliKely that many people will come to cities. in such a situation, how will cities looK liKe in the state of Kerala in the future?

Yeah! Of course, cities are engines of growth since 60 to 65 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from cities. But in Kerala, around 40 to 45 per cent of the GDP comes from urban areas. We have 93 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), and the area covered is less than 10 per cent. In Kerala, there is an urban-rural continuum. We cannot demarcate an urban area from a rural area since almost all the infrastructure in urban areas is also available in rural areas. So, no significant migration (rural-urban) is happening. Elsewhere, cities are the sole generators of employment, and that is why they attract people, but that is not the case in Kerala. Almost all the facilities, like medical and educational institutions, are also available in rural areas, and the connectivity is also there. That kind of urbanisation is happening everywhere, including the rural area in Kerala.

you pointed out an exciting feature of Kerala. what is the

reason that Kerala could build up that Kind of infrastructure and facilities? is it because local government institutions were strong, or is there another reason?

The reason, of course, is the strength of the local bodies, especially the Panchayats. We have 940 Gram Panchayats, and an interesting fact is that one-third of the total government exchequer goes to the local bodies based on their population, geographical area and development necessities. Then there is the finance commission which earmarks the funds for each local body reflected in the budget as annexure IV. The mechanism is one thing. The second thing is that traditionally prevalent urban-rural demographic concern is not here. Even before independence, some educational institutions or social institutions like ‘Anganwadi’ and health institutions were in rural areas. After enacting the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts and the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act, many of these powers were transferred to the local bodies. So, ULBs have power, function and funds.

the 73rd and 74th caa brought about a change across the country, but Kerala was the first to implement these amendments. when we talK about the paradigm shift in urban space, then we talK about the smart city mission, which is the major programme of the government of india. how do you see the smart city

Binu Francis, Secretary, TMC

On One | Binu Francis, Secretary, TMC

changing the role of municipal corporations?

We have two smart cities in Kerala, Trivandrum and Kochi. Trivandrum is selected in the last phase. The cost of project is `1300 crore. But the problem is that we have 100 wards in Trivandrum city, and only nine are covered. There is another problem. In the core city area where we have no land, Greenfield development [projects which are started from scratch] will not happen. If we select this core area, then only Brownfield development [ongoing projects being handed over to others] can happen, under which we have to integrate existing infrastructure with the new one.

Through this smart city system, almost all the services can be delivered at a single point, and that is the beauty

of this scheme. Something happening in one place can be replicated in another place. As far as finance is concerned, around 50 per cent of it comes from the ministry and the rest comes from the state and the urban local bodies (ULBs). Plus, we have a provision for private participation as well.

talKing about finance, smart cities have different financial instruments. i would liKe to Know about the financial instruments available to tmc. what is the financial condition of tmc in terms of generating funds from their resources and getting grants?

Trivandrum city has surplus funds. Our budget is around `1500 crore, out of which `300 crore is our fund; the rest are grants, maybe from the plan fund, which is about `450 crore and project funds or mission funds from the ministries as well from the state government. A major source of revenue is property tax. In 2022, it was `30 crore, and other taxes are around `60-65 crore rest comes from rent and additional user charges. In Thiruvananthapuram, we have sufficient funds, but some cities do not even have funds to pay the salaries of their staff. As per the Kerala Municipality Act, municipalities have many financial sources, but unfortunately, the ULBs are not tapping that potential.

municipal finance is a big concern area. you must be aware that the three municipal corporations in delhi were merged into one because of financial issues. what are the creative areas where cities can generate funds? i am sure your answer could help cities in Kerala and other states. please elaborate…

There are a few mantras for revenue collection. If you go through the act and rules, you can see where we can collect tax and non-tax. Whether we have implemented the same or not, and if so, is the coverage 100 per cent or not, is the first step. The assessment of tax and non-tax sources is up to its

One

potential. Another way is improving collection efficiency.

There are other sources as well. In Thiruvananthapuram, we have a Solid Waste/Sewage Treatment Plan in Muttathara, covering only 43 wards. We have private truck owners collecting the sewage from households and institutions and disposing of the same in open spaces and water bodies. We came up with a mobile app where households and institutions can raise their voice, and they can remit the fees online. We will get `700–1500 as service charges, and the rest will go to the truck owners. This way, we can generate `2 – 3 crore every year. Moreover, there are so many mobile towers that are not taxed. As per our survey, there are more than 700 such towers. By taxing them, we can generate another one crore. Then in Kerala, we have public spaces we can lease out on a potential basis. If we can reduce the expenditure, then, of course, it will be good. Some of the expenditures we can outsource where the cost recovery and management are simple.

there is another critical aspect— environmental sustainability. thiruvananthapuram is one of the greenest cities i have seen. but there are some pressing challenges that cities in the coastal regions face due to climate change. what are your plans to address climate change? Thiruvananthapuram has 28 km of coastline. We are facing the issue of sea erosion in certain places. Also, certain low-lying areas face the issue of flooding in the monsoon season. We have a disaster management plan at the city level, prepared with the help of many relevant stakeholders. We have more than 500 volunteers; following the floods of 2018. On a large level, we have a project of over `1,000 crore to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change that may arise in the coming decades.

trivandrum would soon join the global covenant of mayors (gcom) for climate and energy south

asia. it will enable Knowledge sharing with global partners and cities. does Knowledge sharing among cities help cities liKe thiruvananthapuram?

Of course! Different cities are facing different issues. In the same manner, solutions could differ as well. Sharing knowledge and success stories is essential as some solutions could be replicated in certain areas. Like the issue of floods, some cities have managed to deal with it well. So, an experience-sharing platform is good as many cities are doing well in transport, logistics, communication, and empowering citizens. In Kerala, we have empowered the informal class, while in some other regions, this is not happening.

cop27 (conference of parties) is happening in sharm el-sheiKh. climate talKs are n focus. when we talK about climate change, many experts say that cities are the problem since they have high greenhouse gasses (ghg) emissions. on the other hand, many experts suggest that cities are also the solution. they can help us adapt to climatic conditions. how can a city liKe thiruvananthapuram play an important role in reducing emissions and encouraging people to consider their consumption patterns?

At COP26, we had five declarations from our Prime Minister. We have already started our movement towards attaining these missions or goals, thereby converting all our streetlights to LED lights. We are converting all our buildings into solar. Thiruvananthapuram is selected as the solar city as well. We have converted many of our vehicles into e-vehicles. Again, in certain households, there is a practice of stubble burning, which we have controlled. It has to be cultivated in the minds of the people and students. So, the government has also introduced a syllabus to keep the environment clean, and the corporation is also part of the government’s initiative.

Thiruvananthapuram has 28 km of coastline. We are facing the issue of sea erosion in certain places. Also, certain low-lying areas face the issue of flooding in the monsoon season. We have a disaster management plan at the city level, prepared with the help of many relevant stakeholders. We have more than 500 volunteers; following the floods of 2018. On a large level, we have a project of over `1,000 crore to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change that may arise in the coming decades

We have a separate budget for the same. This issue has been seriously deliberated at the local level, especially in Thiruvananthapuram.

at last, what is your vision for thiruvananthapuram city? how do you see the city developing ten years down the line?

We have already decided to brand the city as the city of peace for the next 20 years. We had many deliberations after which we have taken a resolution on this. An action plan has already been prepared with the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), and the stakeholders’ meeting has already happened. To make the city a city of peace, there should not be any poverty, for which we have already prepared the action plan and selected the beneficiaries. The infrastructure which we have provided should be made up to the standard. So should the service on the part of government and city corporation.

Transcribed by Pushpender Singh, Editorial Assistant

AIILSG’s CSR Centre Launches SDGs Seminar Series

The genesis of the series “MY Actions & Innovations for SDGs” lies in the launching of “AIILSG’s MY Actions for the SDGs” innovations of AIILSG’s ICEQUI-T (AIILSG’s International Centre of Equity & Inclusion for Transformation) at the hands of the President Ranjit Chavan, Director General Dr. Jairaj Phatak and the AIILSG’s Governing Council Members. The said launching on 10 th August 2022 was on the confluence of two key days in the United Nation’s Calendar- the ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ (9 August) and International Youth Day (12 August). A crucial advisory received during the event by the ICEQUI-T team was to expand the horizons of these innovations by including the sharing from social impact pioneers from the wider development fraternity (outside of AIILSG) whereby sharing by these pioneers would render invaluable learnings to the youth.

This led the AIILSG’s CSR Centre (AIILSG’s Corporate Social Responsibility Centre which is established at ICEQUI-T) to design

the annual Seminar Series of “MY Actions & Innovations for SDGs”. It was inaugurated on 15th October 2022 at the hands of the Director General AIILSG, Dr Jairaj Phatak. The objective of the series is to enable the social Change Makers gain insights and learnings from the stalwarts in social development and from the social impacts created by their teams’ efforts. This will enable the Change Makers to render greater effectiveness and efficiency to their efforts.

The annual cycle of the Seminar series would be from the ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ (9 August( to the ‘International Women’s Day’ (8 March).

‘Youth’ form a predominant focus as target audience. The ‘MY’ prefix to SDGs has 2 connotationsownership towards the cause, and MY also stands for ‘Mentoring the Youth’. Such youth-centric initiatives of AIILSG’s ICEQUI-T include: developing a trained & skilled cadre of Youth from the local community as ‘SDG Enablers’ and Sensitising & building capacities of the youth from India & International youth as ‘SDG Advocates’ to prime the change at the grassroots globally to accelerate the progress towards the SDGs. AIILSG’s interventions & innovations at the grassroots with disadvantaged are especially focussed on SDGs: ‘SDG 1- No Poverty’, ‘SDG 2- Zero Hunger’, ‘SDG 3- Good Health and Well –Being’, ‘SDG 4- Quality Education’, ‘SDG 5- Gender Equality’, ‘SDG 6Clean Water and Sanitation’, ‘SDG 7Affordable and Clean Energy’, ‘SDG 8Decent Work and Economic Growth’, ‘SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities’, ‘SDG 12- Responsible Production & Consumption’, ‘SDG 13- Climate Action’ and ‘SDG 17Partnerships for the Goals’.

MY Actions for SDGs Innovations inaugurated by the AIILSG President, Director General & Governing Council Representatives

Sharing of Actions for SDGs by Social Impact Pioneers

THE “MY ACTIONS & Innovations for SDGs” seminar series by AIILSG’s CSR Centre has provided opportunities for youth and AIILSG team to gain insights from stalwarts who have made valuable contributions in accelerating the progress towards the SDGs. The esteemed speakers gracing the seminar series include S Sriram (Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary, Tata Industries Ltd), Jignyasa Kurlapkar

[Head- CSR and Affirmative Action, Rallis India Ltd. (a Tata enterprise). They were felicitated during the occasion as social impact pioneers for their valuable contributions towards the SDGs.

More than 259 youth from 7 countries have benefitted from the experiences and insights shared by these stalwarts.

During the speech, the social impact pioneers shared about the thematic priorities of the respective

organizations, key activities, changes enabled on Ground, good practices, advice to Youth Professionals for maximising their potential for accelerated progress towards the SDGs, etc. The panel discussion followed by Q&A received enthusiastic queries from the participant youth, which broadly covered: ♦

Crucial skills that the youth should possess to render greater effectiveness to their social efforts ♦ Engaging Employees in Volunteerism for CSR activities ♦ Measures/ innovations for team building, especially considering that this kind of work needs high sensitivity in synergy with professional skills ♦ Role of this kind of work in selfdevelopment ♦ Envisioning for deepening social impact

The esteemed speakers highlighted the point that the social work is reciprocal. As one contributes towards improvement in society, this also certainly leads to benefits in terms of increased self-esteem, greater own mental health and well-being, etc. This work also improves self-imagery and mindfulness with enlightened introspection. On one hand this enables the realisation that instead of resorting to rat-race mode, one can certainly derive happiness from whatever asset s/ he has once witness to people who don’t have even two square meals a day. On the other hand, it also develops a gratitude to life to have created this opportunity to make humble contributions towards improving the lives of disadvantaged.

The social impact pioneers also highlighted the importance of professional skills as mere sensitivity alone won’t lead to change unless channelized by of high calibre skills.

AIILSG’s CSR Centre shared the various efforts at AIILSG for accelerating progress towards SDGs. Moreover, it also shared AIILSG’s 12 global innovations towards these, including those felicitated with 3 global recognitions- one from the United Nations and two from Grand Challenges Canada.

Felicitation of Social Impact Pioneer Sriram, CFO & Company Secretary, Tata Industries Ltd

Jignyasa Kurlapkar, Head, CSR & Affirmative Actions, Rallis India Ltd with International Youth

URBAN AGENDA

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

A breakthrough for climate finance at COP27

We have ample research on the adverse impacts of climate change to be well assured that we are dangerously close to reaching the deadline to reverse it. There is no dearth of agreements, treaties and targets set by international organisations or ambitious statements made by nations, but it doesn’t have the desired effect. We need to improve the collective implementation of our commitments to climate action. The recently concluded annual UN Climate Change Conference COP27, held in Sharm el Sheikh from November 6-20, was notable in this regard. This time the theme of the conference was “moving from negotiations and planning to implementation,” a call towards implementing the commitments of The Paris Agreement 2015. A crucial reason for the failure in implementation is financing. The developing nations of the world have been raising noise, asking those wealthy nations responsible for the majority of the climate change and historical emissions to compensate the vulnerable nations more susceptible to climate change. The developing nations banded together to pressurise the developed countries to deliver on their financial commitments.

After many complex negotiations which extended the conference by a day, it saw a breakthrough in establishing a “loss and damage” fund. The fund is dedicated to helping the developing and under-developed countries of the world to deal with and recover from Climate Change-induced disasters. An often-mentioned refrain in climate finance has been the $100 billion per year promised to developed countries which were never delivered. At COP15 held in Copenhagen, the developed countries’ Parties committed to jointly pay $100 billion per year through 2020 to the vulnerable countries to cover their climate action expenses. This goal was reiterated at COP16 and the historic COP21 in Paris. But they were far from reaching the goal by the end of 2020. It has now been extended to 2025.

There exists a need for more availability of sufficient capital to meet expected emissions in developing countries. And there are several challenges to this. Through global climate funds, getting international climate money is frequently a resourceand time-intensive process that lasts longer than election cycles. Several reports have noted the difficulty in mobilising private finance from public interventions. A UNFCCC report on mobilising USD 100 bn per year has stated that there is a need for ensuring a greater amount of grant finances to avoid developing countries incurring debt burdens. Some suggested alternative financial sources are improving local capital markets, increasing the annual commitment of $100 billion in climate finance, and utilising cross-border mechanisms like sovereign guarantees. A major drawback of COP27 and previous Climate conferences is a lack of an accountability framework to hold the developed countries accountable individually for failing to follow through with their commitments.

While the “loss and damage” fund is a ground-breaking achievement of COP27, we must remember that loss and damage only follow our inaction towards “mitigation.” We need to invest much more in mitigating and reducing carbon emissions to control climate change calamities.

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