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

Five 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 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

Ranjit S Chavan President, AIILSG

will become part of the campaign. In this connection, the state government released a statement saying, “The environment department will undertake a greenhouse gas emission inventory exercise for all the cities and clusters, which account for a floating population of 50 million in the state. Within 12 months of joining, the cities will have to explain what actions will be taken towards achieving both interim and long-term pledges and commit to report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually.”

Cities have ample opportunity to address global climate change issues. In addition to strategic moves, they can also make their systems efficient by improving infrastructure and services by accessing green finance instruments. There are several sectors which cities can focus on. The major ones include green building, promoting electric vehicles, making urban operations energy efficient, and focusing on circular economy activities to reduce resource use, and efficient solid and liquid waste management. Climate-Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF), spearheaded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, assists cities in integrating climate change policies in their planning and executing urban development projects. It also assesses their strengths and weaknesses so that the government can provide focused assistance to them. The projects and programmes of waste management, water, mobility, and energy are adjudged under the CSCAFs. The National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), also assists in building efficient urban spaces in India. In addition, there are several programs at the central level. Still, all of these programs must reach the local level, requiring the capacity building of elected representatives and municipal officials. The issue of urban governance and leadership is critically linked with the urban agenda of attaining global goals. Unless local administration has access to knowledge resources to understand the complexity of the climate change issue, it will be almost impossible to build carbonneutral cities. Every aspect of urban operation and management has to become efficient. The role of India and its cities is going to be of much significance as it is the world’s third-biggest emitter of GHG gases after China and the USA. China has announced that it will become carbon neutral by 2060, and its emissions will peak before 2030. In comparison, the United States of America has set 2050 as the deadline to reach net zero. The USA has also said that it will decarbonize its power sector by 2035. Though India is working relentlessly on climate action plans and growing its renewable energy capacity, India is yet to announce its deadline officially. However, the announcement is expected before the beginning of the COP26 event in the United Kingdom.