Mainstreaming Climate Co-Benefits in Indian Cities: Post-Habitat III Innovations and Reforms

383 Pages·2018·6.286 MB·English

by  Mahendra Sethi,Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira (eds.)

Exploring Urban Change in South Asia
Mahendra Sethi
Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira Editors
Mainstreaming
Climate Co-
Benefits in
Indian Cities
Post-Habitat III Innovations and
Reforms
Exploring Urban Change in South Asia
Series editor
Marie-Hélène Zérah, Senior Researcher, Centre for Social Sciences Studies on
Africa, America and Asia (CESSMA, Paris), French Institute of Research for
Sustainable Development (IRD) and Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy
Research, Delhi
Editorial Board
Pushpa Arabindoo, Department of Geography, University College London, UK
EricDenis,SeniorResearchFellow,FrenchNationalCentreforScientificResearch
(CNRS)-Géographie-cités Lab, Paris, France
VéroniqueDupont,CentreforSocialSciencesStudiesonAfrica,AmericaandAsia
(CESSMA, Paris), French Institute of Research for Sustainable Development
(IRD)
Haris Gazdar, Collective for Social Science Research, Centre for Economic
Research in Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan
Nandini Gooptu, Oxford Department of International Development, Oxford
University, UK
AmitabhKundu,FormerProfessorofEconomics,andDeanoftheSchoolofSocial
Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Navdeep Mathur, Public Systems Group, Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad, India
Subrata Mitra, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore
Vyjayanthi Rao, Department of Anthropology, New School, New York, USA
Sanjay Srivastava, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, School of
Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India
The series incorporates work on urbanisation and urbanism in South Asia from
diverse perspectives, including, but not being limited to, sociology, anthropology,
geography,socialpolicy,urbanplanningandmanagement,economics,politicsand
culture studies. It publishes original, peer-reviewed work covering both macro
issues such as larger urbanisation processes, and economic shifts and qualitative
researchworkfocusedonmicrostudies(eithercomparativeorethnographicbased).
Bothindividualauthoredandeditedbooksareconsideredwithintheserieswiththe
possibility of identifying emerging topics for handbooks.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13432
Mahendra Sethi Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira
(cid:129)
Editors
Mainstreaming Climate
fi
Co-Bene ts in Indian Cities
Post-Habitat III Innovations and Reforms
123
Editors
Mahendra Sethi Jose A.Puppim deOliveira
National Institute ofUrban Affairs Getulio Vargas Foundation(FGV/EAESP
NewDelhi, Delhi andFGV/EBAPE)
India SaoPauloandRiodeJaneiro
Brazil
ISSN 2367-0045 ISSN 2367-0053 (electronic)
ExploringUrban Change inSouthAsia
ISBN978-981-10-5815-8 ISBN978-981-10-5816-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5816-5
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017948639
©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2018
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Foreword
Climate Change is a global challenge and a local one too, which can only be
successfully overcome through a global collaborative and cooperative effort. India
ispreparedtoplayitsroleasaresponsiblememberoftheinternationalcommunity
andmakeitsowncontribution,andistakingpartinmultilateralnegotiationsunder
the UN Framework on Climate Change. The outcomes must be effective, fair and
equitable. Every citizen of this planet must have an equal share of the planetary
atmospheric space. It also has to be ensured that despite India’s developmental
imperatives, per capita greenhouse gas emissions should not exceed the expected
levels and also in no case should they exceed the present levels, at the very least.
Climatechangeisone ofthemost importantglobalenvironmentalchallenges with
implications for food production, water supply, health, energy, and so on, which
otherwise may have an adverse impact on the day-to-day life of urban dwellers.
Addressing climate change requires a good scientific understanding as well as
coordinated actions at the settlement level.
India is still a developing country. Per capita energy consumption is about 500
kJagainsttheworldaverageof1800kJ,andthereareestimated400millionIndians
whodonothaveaccesstocommercialenergyinsignificantmeasure.Development
imperatives are huge and we are determined to meet them with a sense of envi-
ronmental responsibility. In the overall global scenario, unfortunately many poor
cities in the country are proceeding with a growth structure that leads to unsus-
tainable practices with regard to water and waste management, and biodiversity,
includingairquality.Therigidseparationofhousing,employment,commercialand
recreational activities creates a dependency on mobility which if not planned well,
in turn contributes to increasing environmental pollution. The phenomenon of the
urban heat island that exacerbates climate change is by now well known.
Pavements, buildings and other structures typical of urban area replace natural
vegetation and eliminates the cooling provided by vegetation through both shade
and evapo-transpiration. In urban areas, temperatures may be raised from this
process by between 2 and 10 °C; this contributes to the formation of ground level
ozonewhichisdetrimentaltohumanhealth.Furthermore,thecompoundingeffects
of urban heat islands and increased temperatures from climate change result in
v
vi Foreword
increased demand for air-conditioning which in turn means increased generation
and consumption of electricity, which if allowed to be not used well as it is now,
adversely affects the climate. On the other hand, there are new technologies that
convert waste into economic returns, with zero-landfill and redeploying the waste
heat productivity.
ClimatechangeriskinIndia’surbancentrescanbeseenintheperspectiveofthe
expected transition in city growth. In addition to 500 million people, an estimated
10,000 plus urban settlements are expected by 2050. This will involve environ-
mental transition related to water, sanitation, environmental, health, air and water
pollution, and climate change. Urban challenges for India for the twenty first
century are dual. On the one side there are calls for priority interventions such as
providing housing and basic services to all, infrastructure to support an
ever-growing population and addressing poverty. On the other side there is the
challengeofcopingwiththevariouskindsofpollution,whetherair,noiseorwater
pollution or environmental degradation, and climate change-induced extreme
events and disasters.
India has embarked on a comprehensive national action plan for meeting the
challenges of climate change. The approach of the action plan is to promote
developmental objectives through pathways that also yield co-benefits for
addressing climate change. In principle, it includes inclusive and sustainable
development, cost-effective strategies for induced demand-side management,
combating growth with ecological sustainability, adoption of appropriate technol-
ogy for adaptation and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions extensively, engi-
neering new and innovative market’s regulatory and voluntary mechanism,
effective programme implementation through linkages with the local bodies, and
the people and public-private partnerships, and welcoming international coopera-
tion or R&D and transfer of technologies. The National Action Plan for Climate
Change,whichisbeingcloselymonitoredbythePrimeMinisterhimself,haseight
missions, namely: the National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced
Energy Efficiency, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Water
Mission, National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco System, National
Mission for a Green India, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, and
National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.
TheresponsibilityforspearheadingtheNationalMissionforSustainableHabitat
has been entrusted to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). The mission
covers abroad spectrum ofissues relatedtoboth mitigation andadaptation.Asfar
as mitigation is concerned, the focus would be on energy efficiency, in residential
andcommercialsectors,urbanwatermanagement,urbanplanning,bringingabouta
modal shift in the area of urban transportation, and so on. As far as adaptation is
concerned, the focus would be on ensuring universal access to water, protection
against floods and cyclones, establishment of disaster warning systems, and mea-
surestakenforpre-andpost-disasterpreparations.Indiahasalreadyinitiatedaction
on many of these issues. Its cities require and in fact the participants can give
feedbackastohowthingsarebeingdoneandhowthingscouldbedoneevenbetter.
Foreword vii
India’s cities require integrated interventions that involve urban development
and growth coupled with environmental safety and sustainability. Any framework
needs to first identify the city-level vulnerability and risk and then redirect
investments and programmes in the city-planning process. This calls for reducing
city social structural vulnerability. Service level benchmarks have also been
developedthatwillhelptodesignthespecificprojectsandprogrammes.Itinvolves
redirecting investment towards climate sensitive planning and linking the different
levels of institutional interventions. This means equipping cities in two ways:
building resilience coping mechanisms against disaster, extreme events and plan-
ning citydevelopment inanenvironmentally friendly mannerthat issustainable in
the long run.
The strategies may include promoting low-rise high density mix land use
development toreduce demandfor travel andland integrating sustainability norms
in master plans or development plans of cities and towns. A lot of debate is going
on, whether there should be high-rise buildings or not, and perhaps the workshop
could deliberate on this issue also, in the context of sustainability. Besides
increasing and restoring the green cover in and around cities, use of building
materials and surfaces that reduce urban heat islands and improve the storm water
drainage system will also help. Strategies could also involve interventions at the
regional level like proper resource management, improving weather forecasting to
prepare for extreme events, having a disaster management plan in place for envi-
ronmentally sensitive drought and flood prone areas, and preservation of the
threatened areas.
It is noticeable that India often gets the sudden cloudburst kind of rainfall now
and this is creating another kind of challenge. When planners and city authorities
arequestioned,theygobacktotheirdatabaseandtheysaythatthisneverhappened
before,thereforetheyneverplannedforit.Theysaythatinthelast30yearsitnever
rained like this in a short spell. However, what we are viewing as a nuisance, as a
challenge,isactuallyaresource.Ifyouplanforthissortofrainfall,thewatercanbe
storedwell,anditcanchangethefaceofthecities.Thisisachallengebecausenot
allclimate change issues needtobereactive;wecanproactivelyprepareourselves
too.Make gooduseofwhatever isappearingtobe achallenge oranuisance.This
could be achieved through specific mitigation and adaptation plans that are built
into city planning, ascertaining institutional backup to enable operationalization
of these plans.
Butahugeknowledgegapexistsintermsofpossibleclimatechangeimpactsat
regional, local and city levels. The nature of responses should be designed to take
careoflocation-specificimpacts.Hence,thereisaneedtolookattheR&Dneeds,
specific to design of urban responses against climate change of the cities. The role
of town planners assumes significance as they have to sensitize the numerous
agencies and the citizen towards the adverse impacts of climate change and as
pointed out above, not all climate change issues need to be a threat; they are
opportunities as well, provided we appreciate them seriously, carefully. While
undertaking preparation of master plans, zonal developmental plans and layout
plans, it has to be ensured that the adverse impacts on quality of air and water are
viii Foreword
minimized. I hope that the state town and country planning departments, urban
development and planning authorities, municipal bodies, schools of planning and
architecture andrelatedprofessionalandstatutorybodies will play aproactiverole
in taking up the issue of climate change and accordingly take the necessary steps
and studies for incorporating the environmental concerns of cities to reduce the
adverse impact of these threats.
Ialsohopethatthestrategiesadoptedforthepurposefocusonsustainabilityand
an inclusive approach. The MoUD have revised the Urban Development Plan
FormulationandImplementationGuidelines.Thediscourseonclimateissuescould
suitablyinfluencetheseguidelines.SinceUnitedNationsUniversity(UNU)hasgot
a global presence, it can bring the global knowledge and awareness into India
successfully.Indiaisaverylargecountryandtheissues(thatarefoundindifferent
parts of the world are probably found in this country) are such that it deserves to
have a chapter of UNU in India. The book deliberates on all the relevant issues,
themes and comes up with excellent suggestions that would be useful for one and
all who are concerned. I wish the book every success!
Dr. Sudhir Krishna
Former Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development,
Government of India
Preface
The twenty-first century is considered to be the greatest opportunity to attain sus-
tainabledevelopment.However,afailuretotransformourpatternsofdevelopment
canleadtoirreversibleimpactswithconsequencesforthepeopleandplanet.Inthis
context, the future of sustainable development objectives is intrinsically linked to
the development processes in our cities, as evident with the inclusion of a Cities
Goal in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), though urban development
affectsmostoftheSDGs.Rapidurbanizationputsincreasingpressureontheglobal
environment and exacerbates inequalities as cities both produce and consume
materialandenergyresources.Theideaofgeneratingpartnershipsforco-benefitsis
embedded in how we can integrate the solutions to global challenges and the
pressureforlocaldevelopmentobjectivesincitiesintheshortandlongterm.Cities
in the developing world face multiple challenges to achieve sustainability goals.
These challenges include jobless labour, slums and health risks; lagging access to
basiclevelsofinfrastructure,suchasadequatehousing,transport,electricity;losing
prime green and blue land uses to industries, buildings and roads; facing the
onslaughtoflocalpollutionandglobalclimatechangeimpacts.Nevertheless,cities
have historically been and will continue to be centres of hope, knowledge, inno-
vation, social and political reforms that catalyse transformations.
In this sense, collaborative approaches between various functional sectors and
levelsofgovernancearekeytocreatethelocalandglobalinnovations,institutions
and mechanisms to generate co-benefits as, for example, reducing the causes and
impactsofclimatechangeandairpollutionandimprovinghumanhealth.However,
in view of adhering to international commitments like the Paris Agreement, SDGs
andtherecentlyagreedNewUrbanAgendainPost-HabitatIIIand,forthecaseof
India, attaining ambitious national goals for sustainable urbanization under the
Smart Cities Mission, AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation), HRIDAY (National Heritage City Development and
Augmentation Yojana) and the Swachh Bharat Mission, we need a comprehensive
discourse to transform broad concepts into practical results for the implementation
ofsuchcommitments.Theobjectiveofthisbookistodiscusshowwecandevelop
policies and instruments to boost the capacity of societies to generate climate,
ix