Context: Recently, India unveiled its long-term climate action plan at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.

Key Points

• The document titled ‘Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LT-LCDS)’ at COP27.

• It has multi-sectoral measures to reach a net-zero emissions status and climate-resilient urbanisation.

• It forms a significant feature of the Government of India’s strategy under the Paris Agreement.

Data-driven approach

• Planning Strategies: Cities need effective and efficient planning instruments that translate master plans into transformative business-ready investment projects.

• Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF): It is a decision support tool of UN-Habitat for urban practitioners, for sustainable, resilient urban planning & management of Indian cities.

• Capturing inter-sectoral data: USAF enables cities to regularly capture inter-sectoral data and corresponding analysis on urban metrics.

The cases of Bhopal and Jaipur

• Case of Bhopal: Bhopal has 43% non-motorized transport (NMT) modal share but provides public bike docking stops to only 24%. Designing ‘Shared streets’ may provide a solution.

• Case of Jaipur: There is a significant decline in porous surfaces (by 50%) in the last three decades. Community recharge pits & increasing permeable spaces could be possible solutions.

Integrated Approach

• Capital Investment Plans: Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) mandates & allows cities to integrate possible solutions with their capital investment plans.

• Stakeholder participation: Active involvement from various tiers of government, non-governmental, and academic institutions is desirable for arriving at very specific interventions.

• Evidence-based approach: Evidence-based approach aims at making cities sustainable, resilient and inclusive with no one and no place left behind. It utilizes the data on the city performance indicators.

Climate-resilient urbanisation

• The action plan involves a three-pronged and long-term plan for urban areas focusing on adaptation and resource efficiency in urban planning, climate-responsive and climate-resilient buildings, and municipal service delivery.

• There are several flagship missions by Union and State governments, which target specific objectives towards creating a smart, sustainable and resilient urban India. 

• A data-driven approach may be useful to facilitate the implementation of the LT-LCDS and other missions, and enable their integration.

• For instance, the Urban Sustainability Assessment Framework (USAF), a tool of UN-Habitat for municipal commissioners and urban practitioners, supports the sustainable and resilient urban planning and management of Indian cities. 

• It enables cities to regularly capture inter-sectoral data and corresponding analysis on urban metrics to monitor the performance of a city.

• Cities can enhance vertical integration by pulling together the missions’ objectives at the central level, State policies and projects, and local implementation through city-specific strategic actions linked to capital investment planning.

• By designing ‘shared streets’ for personal vehicles, public transport, NMT and pedestrians, and linking them with future economic activity zones and underserved areas, the city has immense potential to reduce its carbon footprint. 

• These streets can also be conduits for native plant species and groundwater recharge by integrating water-sensitive urban design features with the potential of reducing GHG emissions. 

• India’s long-term strategy must accommodate the most vulnerable of its people in its low-emissions pathways to achieve sustainable economic growth and poverty eradication.

Conclusion

• Demonstrating urban planning strategies for climate resilience through specific actions supported by relevant data and linking them to various finance streams accessible to the urban local bodies is important. Nature-based solutions provide a range of solutions for climate change adaptation over hard grey infrastructure.