Mumbai First Back With Two-Day International Conclave On Climate Crisis

Mumbai First, a public policy think tank and non-profit organization, will this month host a two-day conclave, examining the criticality of mobilizing climate finance to help coastal cities like Mumbai build resilience to the accelerating climate crisis.

Convened under the banner ‘Climate Crisis 2.0: Mobilizing Finance for Coastal Cities’, the conclave, organized with the support of the Government of Maharashtra, The European Union, Consulate of Netherlands & McKinsey as knowledge partners, will be held on May 12th and 13th at Mumbai’s Trident Hotel. It will discuss and examine a range of issues from managing the climate-risk and vulnerabilities of coastal cities to mobilizing finance for climate-resilient infrastructure in cities like Mumbai.

The two-day conference intends to have a purposeful discussion on how climate finance mobilization is crucial to helping Mumbai and the MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) weather the onslaught of climate change over the coming decade. It further aims to provide a platform for building partnerships of state and municipal governments with the private sector to explore green investment opportunities to mitigate and adapt to the risks of climate change.

The conclave will be attended by top government officials, including Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, industrialists, politicians, urban planners, academicians, social and environmental scientists and environmentalists.

The dignitaries include:

The EU’s Ambassador to India Mr. Ugo Astuto
• Mr. Ashok Lavasa, Vice President Private Sector & PPP, Asian Development Bank
• Dr. Atul Bagai, India Head, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Ms. Wendy Werner, India Country Head, International Finance Corporation
• Mr. Richard Damania, Chief Economist, Sustainable Development Practice Group, The World Bank Group
• Ms. Nina Fenton, Head of Regional Representation, South Asia, European Investment Bank
• Ms. Priyanka Chaturvedi, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

Mr. Narinder Nayar, Chairman, Mumbai First, said, “In the post-pandemic world, it is more important than ever to address and resolve issues related to urban climate challenges. Mumbai recently became the first Indian city to frame and release a ‘Climate Action Plan’ that acknowledges the risks and sets tangible emission reduction goals for Mumbai, in line with the Paris Agreement. While the plan is the starting point, we now need to build purposeful partnerships with the private sector and global climate financing institutions to action the projects and plans proposed. Through this conclave, Mumbai First hopes to spark a discussion on mitigation plans & facilitate climate-resilient infrastructure in Mumbai and other tropical waterfront cities to deal with rising sea-levels.”

The climate conclave, which follows a similar gathering held in February 2020, will additionally highlight how temperature rise is just the beginning of the story, with Earth’s ecosystems forming a delicately balanced, interconnected framework.

The conference will feature a special dialogue of Consul Generals from Japan, Netherlands, Sri Lanka & Singapore on climate mitigation & adaptation strategies. The event will also witness the launch of an EU funded project to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) – the largest global alliance for city climate leadership, built upon the commitment of over 11,500 cities and local governments. Multiple sessions over the two days will examine various aspects of the debate from environment governance and policy mediations to technological innovation, and green finance.

Supported by :

Blue Dart & Concast India are co-sponsors of the conference and HSBC, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd and All Cargo Logistics are the other supporters of the conference.