Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 19 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has termed the government's climate commitments as "sweet talking," pointing to the discrepancy between high-level MoUs and the recent clearing of the Great Nicobar Project and other commitments.
In a post on X, Thackeray wrote, "while all the sweet talking, formal MoUs and government chatter can happen at the @Mumbai_Climate, where global agencies and partners have been invited.
The Great Nicobar Project, that will destroy an entire local ecosystem, has been cleared by the NGT, which is supposed to protect the environment. The Aravali Mountain Range still faces a real threat from the Union Government, like the Himalayas. The State Board of Wildlife- Maharashtra is committed to allowing mining in the region of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary. The Ajni Vann in Nagpur has seen the felling of trees only as of yesterday. Lush green area in the city with 1000s of old trees. The BMC has moved ahead with its plans to hack 45,000 mangrove trees. The joke is, they will do compensatory afforestation in Chandrapur, where Mines are being opened- so the trees felled there will be compensated on another planet, maybe."
He added, "This is only a glimpse, while rampant deforestation is allowed by municipal corporations for builders in our cities. Having said that, it's cute to see the government sign MoUs on "Urban Heat", and City Climate roadmaps and forcing CSR down this road. All the jargons are great, all the talk is great, only if the government actually meant what it said at the climate week."
On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated Mumbai Climate Week, underscoring the city's potential as a climate finance hub for the Global South. He called on global institutions to partner in developing scalable, sustainable infrastructure models that can be replicated across emerging economies, stressing the urgent investment needs of developing nations.
Addressing global leaders, innovators, philanthropists, and young change-makers gathered for the week-long summit, Fadnavis said, "Mumbai Climate Week marks an important milestone: India's first platform dedicated to accelerating climate action at scale, with a focus on empowering Mumbai, India, and the Global South. And there is no better city to host this conversation than Mumbai, a city that has remained resilient through its glorious history.
"He emphasised the real-world impact of climate change on Mumbai, noting, "When Mumbai experiences extreme rainfall, it is not a mere statistic. It is trains halted, homes flooded, businesses disrupted, and livelihoods interrupted. When heat waves intensify, it is not a graph on a presentation; it is construction workers, street vendors, and farmers facing real hardship."
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