The ‘Strategic Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement’ (SPIPA) project, funded by the European Union (EU) and the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU), organised a two-day conference titled “Climate Crisis: Action For Coastal Cities” in partnership with Mumbai First, a not-for-profit organization. The conference was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Government of Maharashtra, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The conference comprised of six technical sessions with presentations, followed by panel discussion and facilitated interaction with the audience. This conference involved participation of 216 stakeholders including key government department representatives, scientific experts, social workers, practitioners, students and citizens. The main objectives of the conference were:
- To highlight the significance of city level action plans for addressing adverse impacts of climate change by showcasing best practices from both Indian and the European cities.
- To enable exchange of learning and experiences from tropical coastal cities in India (Surat, Cochin and Trivandrum) and the cities in Europe (Venice, Italy) on policy and technical interventions to tackle adverse impacts of climate change particularly urban flooding.
- To enable development of new initiatives for collaboration among stakeholders from India and EU on issues related to climate change.
Mumbai also became the 16th Indian city to join the initiative of Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCOM; https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/).
