Sansad TV Perspective: Climate Change and Urban Development

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic ‘Climate Change and Urban Development’.

Anchor: Vishal Dahiya 

Participants: 

1. Prof. P. S. N. Rao, Director, School of Planning and Architecture
2. Durga Shankar Mishra, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India
3. Pawan Mulukutla, Director, Electric Mobility, Sustainable Cities, WRI India

Context: 

The issue of climate change has been surrounding the world with significant prominence since the Industrial Revolution. As time progressed, urbanisation grew rapidly and today we are witnessing the consequences of its uncontrolled expansion. This is the time that requires an active response from international organisations, governments, civil society and other stakeholders to draw a balance between economic activities and ecology.

An Overview:

• Anthropogenic factors have played a major role in elevating climate change and its implications as mentioned in the recently released IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).
• There are alarming statistics pertaining to the overall health of our planet in terms of its changing climatology along with its indicators such as changing patterns of wind, snow, ice, dryness or humidity that bring disastrous results.
• Therefore this is the appropriate time that the world must come together and look for sustainable measures in order to prevent the outcomes of climate change.
• India has always stepped ahead in adopting action plans and several measures to control climate change. 

Urban development plays a pivotal role in the increase of issues related to climate change as it leads to the enormous addition of carbon footprints. In the present scenario, the impact of urban landscapes on climate change becomes a noteworthy discussion involving experts from different fields.

Key Highlights:

• Cities are often referred to as the ‘growth engines’ of the world that account for 80% of the global GDP. Some of the important statistics related to cities are as follows: 
  • Cover 2% of the land, globally
  • Consume two-third of the world’s energy
  • 44% of greenhouse gas emissions are contributed by the urban areas
  • Cities comprise 65% of the sustainable growth targets and 86% of the SDGs.
  • About 70% of the world’s resources are utilised by the cities

• It is estimated that more than 50% of the population in India will live in urban areas in the coming years. This makes the sustainable use of urban landscapes a necessity. 
• There needs to be proper regulation of the supply and demand curve serving the interests to reduce the aftermath of climate change. 
• Urban mobility plays an important role with a larger emphasis on green mobility, transportation for all, ensuring better walkability through public-private partnerships. 
  • The 733 km of metro projects across 18 cities will add on to the green mobility under the stewardship of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Soon the metro projects will be scaled up to 1050 km.
• The promotion and implementation of green technology in affordable housing programmes and other construction projects is a welcome step towards the goal of reducing the carbon footprint. Experts say India has been successful in green building projects and soon there will be several incentives for the construction of green buildings.
• The upcoming National Hydrogen Energy Mission will lead to the decarbonisation of the transport sector and thereby lower the carbon footprint.

Also read: AIR Spotlight – 20 Years of Good Governance: Urbanization as an Opportunity

Government Initiatives:

1. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2.0):
   1. The key objective of this mission is to widen the accessibility to taps along with water supply and sewerage connections.
   2. It also aims at making the cities greener and reducing pollution by improving the modes of public transport.
   3. The mission components include water supply, sewerage, stormwater drainage, urban transport and green space.
   4. The second phase of the mission or AMRUT 2.0 aspires to facilitate water supply to all households and further boost provisions of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
   5. Know more about AMRUT in the linked article.
2. Smart Cities Mission:
   1. The Smart Cities Mission opens a doorway to sustainable use of urban landscape and to make the cities more disaster resilient.
   2. This mission began in the year 2015 to improve the infrastructure using clean technology creating a decent environment for the people by encouraging smart solutions. 

Walking ahead with Sustainability: Balancing Urban Development and Climate Change         

The loopholes seen in urban planning result in poor living conditions, improper sanitation, rise in pollution, lack of proper housing and improper waste management. This increases the risk of disasters like urban floods and other natural hazards. It is believed by experts that resource-efficient and climate-resilient technologies are to be implemented along with transit-oriented development plans. Green technology in the construction sector can flourish better by bringing more awareness among the citizens about the latest technologies. Therefore there needs to be the incorporation of equity and inclusion to balance the supply and demand. 

Every measure discussed should be successfully executed by proper community resilience and engagements. 

Read more summaries of Perspective in the link.

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