Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray has said that the threat of climate change is a real one and that development and environment can go hand in hand provided that the development is sustainable.
Thackeray, who is Minister for Environment and Climate Change, was interacting with students at an event on climate, culture, commerce, connectivity and the future course for Mumbai as a part of Colaba Conversation 2021 organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) on Wednesday.
Referring to the unseasonal rains in December in parts of Maharashtra, Thackeray said, "Climate change is real and it is important for us to look around and understand that this would not be sustainable for long." He said it was important to understand that while one could enjoy a cold rainy morning in the city, it was also crucial to realise that on stepping out of city life, is it good for the farmers, is it good for the food we get, is it sustainable as a lifestyle for the people, from planning city infrastructure.
"All of this happens according to the seasons. Most of our agrarian produce, most of our GDP is dependent on the monsoons. But when monsoons start becoming erratic how does one depend on it? Because if it is raining in December and January, will it be back again in June? Have the agricultural and sowing seasons changed? So all of this is really in climate change," the minister said.
Thackeray said that the government was focused on developing Mumbai as a financial lead city, one which was on its way to gradually become central to India's rise in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
