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

`We are truly delighted to have been recognized by the Under2 Coalition for our heartfelt ongoing contribution towards climate action,` said Aaditya Thackeray

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 U2.

The 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 level.

According to a press release issued to the media, Maharashtra's commitment to climate leadership saw it launch the first state-wide programme on climate change mitigation and adaptation in India. While British Columbia (Canada) was awarded for Creative Climate Solutions, Québec (Canada) won for Climate Partnerships.

Also Read: Mumbai: Look after environment, Aaditya Thackeray tells BMC

"We 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 action," said Aaditya Thackeray, Minister for Environment, Tourism and Protocol, Government of Maharashtra.

Team Maharashtra, under the guidance of Aaditya had sent in entries for all three categories of U2 - Inspiring Regional Leadership, Creative Climate Solutions and Climate Partnerships.

As India's 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 development.

The nominations, which are based on Aaditya's leadership and guidance of building climate-resilience, 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 year.

Local and regional partnerships had been successfully achieved through Majhi Vasundhara or the My Earth - the only holistic state-wide 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 Maharashtra.

Similarly, 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 level.

A 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 didn't win.

About Under2 Coalition

Climate 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 1.75 billion people and 50% of the global economy.

Full list of winners and highly commended entrants

Inspiring regional leadership

Winner

• Maharashtra, India

In December 2019, Aaditya Thackeray became Maharashtra's youngest cabinet minister, taking on the role of Minister of Environment & Climate Change. Since then, he has led Maharashtra's efforts to address climate change from the front - from notifying over 9,800 hectares of mangroves as protected areas, to launching the first state-wide programme in the country on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Highly commended

• Jalisco, Mexico
• Pacific Coast Collaborative
• Victoria, Australia

Creative Climate Solutions

Winner

• British Columbia, Canada

A founding signatory to the Under2 Coalition, British Columbia is a long-standing 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 low-carbon economy through incentives for cleaner industrial operations that operate near world-leading low carbon emissions benchmarks.

Highly commended

• Basque Country, Spain
• Maharashtra, India

Climate Partnerships

Winner

• Québec, Canada

Former co-chair of the Under2 Coalition and current member of its Steering Group, Québec has shown a deep commitment to climate action at the subnational level. Notably, its support of the Under2 Coalition's Future Fund initiative sees the province contribute to enhancing the capacity of regions in the Global South to undertake transformative emissions reduction and capacity-building projects.

Video: Under2 Coalition Leadership Awards:

Minister Benoit Charette, Government of Québec - YouTube

Highly commended

• Pernambuco, Brazil
• Maharashtra, India