Leaderspeak | Zero Emission Cities
Cities to lead ‘Race to Zero’ Cities and towns worldwide will be instrumental in reducing carbon emissions by half by 2030 and to zero by 2050. Globally, cities are increasingly showing support to ‘Race to Zero Campaign’ of the United Nations’ COP26 Climate Champions. 799 cities worldwide, including ten cities from India, have joined the campaign. Other cities must also join the bandwagon for far-reaching impact and gain access to the learnings and experiences of member cities
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ive years have passed since world leaders agreed on a historic climate agreement in COP21. This year, world leaders are meeting in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, from October 31 to November 12 to finalize climate actions to reach climate neutrality and keep 1.5 degrees within reach. The main focus of the leaders would be to accelerate the transition from coal to clean power, protect and restore nature for the benefit of people and climate, accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles, raise climate ambition through science and innovation, and secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach. Most of these targets need an extensive role of local governments and urban engagement. Research agencies and analysts have been throwing complex numbers around for many years in sustainable development and climate change dialogues. But the focus now is on number zero (0). The target is to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2050. In simple words, it means that the world would not emit greenhouse gases overall. It does not mean that the emission will stop entirely by industries and cities. Net is the keyword. It will mean that overall emission has to be balanced by activities that suck GHG gases out of the air. Thousands of stakeholders, ranging from private companies, regional and local governments, civil society, and others, have joined hands together to
24 October 2021 | www.urbanupdate.in
achieve the target. About 800 cities from more than 50 countries have already joined the ‘Race to Zero Campaign’. Out of which, ten cities are from India. As a nation, India is targeting many fronts. The government is planning for 450 GW installed capacity of renewable energy. Some experts even suggest that the country would need to install 5630 GW capacity to achieve the netzero target. This is a huge number, but it is when the country focuses only on electricity generation. There are multiple fronts where regional and sub-national governments can pitch in to make efficient systems that emit less GHG.
Race to Zero and Indian Cities
As many as 10 Indian cities, including
Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Surat, Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad, KalyanDombivli, Pune and Nagpur have joined the campaign. It is to be noted that six cities are from Maharashtra. The number of towns from Maharashtra will increase to 43 as the state government recently announced that another 37 cities will join the ‘Race to Zero’ campaign. State Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray made this announcement during India’s Road to COP26 event, part of The Hub Live at Climate Week NYC 2021. He said that the state would focus on more investments from global companies and keep its carbon footprint in check by taking climate mitigation and adaptation measures. It is a welcome move of the Maharashtra government to announce that 43 cities
As many as 10 Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Surat, Mumbai, Nashik, Aurangabad, KalyanDombivli, Pune and Nagpur have joined the campaign. It is to be noted that six cities are from Maharashtra. The number of cities from Maharashtra will increase to 43 as the state government recently announced that another 37 cities from the State will join the ‘Race to Zero’ campaign
