Why the new climate centre for cities matters | HT Editorial

The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs recently set up the Climate Centre for Cities to strengthen responses of cities to the climate crisis. This focus on cities is prudent. India is urbanising fast; by 2030, the urban population is expected to be around 600 million, and cities will account for 70% of India’s GDP. With haphazard and unplanned growth though, cities have already become victims of the climate crisis. In the last few years, they have battled heat waves, floods, and droughts. These climate shocks have had a negative impact on the quality of life of the inhabitants and affected the revenue potential of cities.

India’s cities fail to battle these old and new challenges because of several reasons. The decision-making power is still not decentralised; funds are inadequate; many decisions are politically motivated and do not take into account the negative environmental fallout; there isn’t a mechanism to learn from each other’s best practices; and, often, officials do not have the requisite expertise needed to tackle climate-related challenges.

The climate centre, which will be housed at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, will hopefully bridge some of these gaps; create a synergy across climate actions undertaken by the 500 Class-I cities; help authorities apply a climate lens to policymaking; provide expertise to officials; enable access to funds; and take advantage of several innovative solutions available in the market. And in the process, the centre and cities will hopefully come up with replicable models, which can then act as “lighthouses” to other aspiring cities.