Union Budget Sparks Debate On Climate & Urban Development

Mumbai: The Union Budget presented on Sunday, February 1 marks a positive transition in the way India thinks about development, acknowledging that climate action, economic growth, and the resilience of our cities have a direct bearing on the lives of our citizens, said the Founder and CEO of Project Mumbai, Shishir Joshi.

Joshi said that the focus on sustainable infrastructure, clean energy, and climate-resilient urban transitions, coupled with a robust public capital expenditure outlay of Rs 12.2 lakh crore and specific allocations for cleaner industrial transitions, is a clear indication that the government is committed to developing cities that are healthier, safer, and more livable for our citizens.

Real Challenge is Ability to Deliver

But the real challenge for these policies will be in their ability to deliver on the ground in terms of providing good public transport, clean air, climate-resilient housing, improved services, and livelihood opportunities. 'For this to happen, climate action needs to be people-centric, supported by the private sector, and scaled and sustained by the Government. The upcoming Mumbai Climate Week is an essential step towards mobilizing governments, corporations, civil society, and citizens to solve for climate challenges without compromising on the growth and development of India," Joshi said who is the organiser of Mumbai Climate Week.

The climate week will be held from February 17 to 19, in Jio World Convention centre, BKC. It is said to be one of its kind event when experts across quaters will present their ideal for sustainable development.

Contradictory Views

However, there are also enviornment activist who opine that the union budget did little for the enviornment. "Unfortunately, there is nothing significant in this budget about the environment. Even the “positive” items such as training guides for wildlife trails will result in more disturbance to turtles and more damage to the environment when these well meaning measures are implemented on the ground. The central idea that business as usual and the ease of doing business completely ignores the financial repercussions of climate change," said environmentalist and founder of Conversation and Action Trust.

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No financial allocation for dog shelters

"There is not even a mention of the damage to our economy because of the loss of natural capital. If you destroy our natural infrastructure – trees, biodiversity, grasslands, etc. – and replace them with cement roads and railway lines, this cannot be “development”. There also seems to be no financial allocation for the creation of dog shelters, as mandated by our Supreme Court," Goenka added.

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