Maharashtra becomes only Indian state to win climate action award in Scotland

Maharashtra has won the Inspiring Regional Leadership award at the inaugural Leadership Awards of the Under2 U2 Coalition the largest global network of states and regions committed to climate action held to coincide with the COP26 summit in Glasgow It is the only Indian state to win one of the three awards by U2The award for Inspiring Regional Leadership was collected by team Maharashtra on behalf of Aaditya Thackeray the youngest environment minister in the world to win this honour at an event organised by Under2 U2 Coalition at the Stirling Castle Scotland where various winners were recognised for pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved for the climate at a subnational levelAccording to a press release issued to the media Maharashtrarsquos commitment to climate leadership saw it launch the first statewide programme on climate change mitigation and adaptation in India While British Columbia Canada was awarded for Creative Climate Solutions Queacutebec Canada won for Climate PartnershipsAlso Read Mumbai Look after environment Aaditya Thackeray tells BMCldquoWe strongly believe that it is high time we put in collective efforts and meaningful actions to work on this global issue that sees no borders of geography race nationality or gender We are truly delighted to have been recognized by the Under2 Coalition for our heartfelt ongoing contribution towards climate actionrdquo said Aaditya Thackeray Minister for Environment Tourism and Protocol Government of MaharashtraTeam Maharashtra under the guidance of Aaditya had sent in entries for all three categories of U2 ndash Inspiring Regional Leadership Creative Climate Solutions and Climate PartnershipsAs Indias most industrialised state with a 720 km long vulnerable coastline Maharashtra in its nominations highlighted how within a short span of time the state had found it essential to include climate resilience into policymaking and had embarked upon novel projects policies and campaigns that reflect a monumental shift in prioritising sustainable developmentThe nominations which are based on Aadityarsquos leadership and guidance of building climateresilience highlighted how the state government had succeeded in creating a culture of climate action in Maharashtra which has borne expenses worth 2 billion due to climate related disasters during the past yearLocal and regional partnerships had been successfully achieved through Majhi Vasundhara or the My Earth the only holistic statewide program in the world to focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation In its second year Majhi Vasundhara mission is being taken to all local bodies to cover the entire population of MaharashtraSimilarly global partnerships to further climate work in Maharashtra have been gaining pace with the State partnering with the UN Race to Zero Initiative and joined the C40 Cities initiative to address climate change on a global levelA leadership group of states and regions committed to ambitious climate action U2 now has 260 members from across the world Among all 260 state govts in the Under2 coalition which includes four other Indian states Maharashtra was the only one to receive a high commendation for the Creative Climate Solutions and Climate Partnerships award it didnt winAbout Under2 CoalitionClimate Group is the Secretariat to the Under2 Coalition which is a group of ambitious state and regional governments committed to keeping global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees Celsius The coalition is made up of more than 260 governments who represent 175 billion people and 5037 of the global economyFull list of winners and highly commended entrantsInspiring regional leadershipWinnerMaharashtra IndiaIn December 2019 Aaditya Thackeray became Maharashtrarsquos youngest cabinet minister taking on the role of Minister of Environment amp Climate Change Since then he has led Maharashtrarsquos efforts to address climate change from the front from notifying over 9800 hectares of mangroves as protected areas to launching the first statewide programme in the country on climate change mitigation and adaptationHighly commendedJalisco MexicoPacific Coast CollaborativeVictoria AustraliaCreative Climate SolutionsWinnerBritish Columbia CanadaA founding signatory to the Under2 Coalition British Columbia is a longstanding leader on climate change winning the Creative Climate Solutions award for its CleanBC Program for Industry The Program includes efforts to reward cleaner industrial operations and support competitiveness to help build a strong lowcarbon economy through incentives for cleaner industrial operations that operate near worldleading low carbon emissions benchmarksHighly commendedBasque Country SpainMaharashtra IndiaClimate PartnershipsWinnerQueacutebec CanadaFormer cochair of the Under2 Coalition and current member of its Steering Group Queacutebec has shown a deep commitment to climate action at the subnational level Notably its support of the Under2 Coalitionrsquos Future Fund initiative sees the province contribute to enhancing the capacity of regions in the Global South to undertake transformative emissions reduction and capacitybuilding projectsVideo Under2 Coalition Leadership AwardsMinister Benoit Charette Government of Queacutebec YouTubeHighly commendedPernambuco BrazilMaharashtra India