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Mumbai Becomes First South Asian City To Detail Net-Zero Roadmap (bloomberg.com) 29

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Mumbai announced detailed plans to zero out carbon emissions by 2050, a target that puts it two decades ahead of India's national goal and makes it the first city in South Asia to set such a timeline. From a report: In the plan announced Sunday, India's financial center, home to south Asia's biggest corporations, stock bourses and the central bank, has proposed exhaustive changes to the way it manages energy, water, air, waste, green spaces and transport for its 19 million residents. "We don't have the luxury of time," said Aaditya Thackeray, environment minister of the state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the capital. Without intervention, the effects of climate change could cost India $35 trillion over the next 50 years. India's richest city, Mumbai is also home to tremendous poverty, with slums and fishing villages along the southern coast that date to British rule. By 2050, rising sea levels are expected to flood those parts of the city. In total, unabated climate change could cost the city $920 million.
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Mumbai Becomes First South Asian City To Detail Net-Zero Roadmap More

Mumbai Becomes First South Asian City To Detail Net-Zero Roadmap

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  • Mumbai is also home to tremendous poverty, with slums and fishing villages along the southern coast that date to British rule. By 2050, rising sea levels are expected to flood those parts of the city.

    It sounds like if they just let nature keep on present course, it will solve their poverty problem.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Unlikely, because the poor aren't just going to quietly drown when the water starts rising. They are going to migrate, and eventually just take what they need to survive.

    • Riiight... because when the sea level rises, they are going to leave instead of moving closer, simply taking the resources they need to live. You're an analytical genius. /s

  • India is a Russian ally and it looking to help finance the Ukranian war: https://www.reuters.com/world/... [reuters.com]

    The Russians have really bamboozled us all with this green carbon neutral crap.

    • India is a Russian ally and it looking to help finance the Ukranian war

      At the UN, India abstained but did not support Russa. Only Belarus, Eritrea, NK, and Syria voted with Russia. India has also declined to boycott Russian oil, but it is an exaggeration to say that means India is financing the war.

      The Russians have really bamboozled us all with this green carbon neutral crap.

      One silver lining of the invasion is that the cost of relying on our geopolitical rivals for energy has given a big boost to local green energy.

      • India is sending money to Russia in exchange for goods. How are they not financing a war? The EU is doing the same thing, as was the US until conservatives forced Biden to do something. I guess Trump was the Russian agent though. Also, abstaining is implicit support. Why would you abstain when a country is invading and blowing up men, women and children? India is obviously allied with Russia and I am suspecting the EU is too since they refuse to stop sending Russia money during a war.
        • Complex historical, political and strategic military reasons. Historically, the western powers were always more aligned towards Pakistan. They viewed it as a garrison state against communism. India was a founder member of the Non-aligned Movement in the cold war, but in reality, it was pushed towards Russia by western policies. During the war of Bangladesh Liberation in 1971, the US sent ships to intimidate India and it was only when Russia sent a nuclear submarine to support India honoring their Friendship
          • Good summary, though I'm sure the West would be more than happy to sell India whatever it needs if they do drop Russia. Or if Russia simply runs out of material, which may be the case if they're having to import weapons from China. That's something India will not do.

  • Electric buses will at least help clean up the in-city air. I assume they will install heat pumps and electric stoves. A drop in the ocean but you have to start somewhere.

    • I assume they will install heat pumps

      For what? Mumbai is further south than Havana or Honolulu.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Klaxton ( 609696 )

        Unlike ordinary A/C units, heat pumps do both cooling and heating. And are relatively efficient at both.

        • Unlike ordinary A/C units, heat pumps do both cooling and heating. And are relatively efficient at both.

          There is no point paying for both when you will only use one.

          Just install an AC. There is no reason a Mumbai resident will ever need heat. It is a tropical city.

    • Heat pumps won't help with air conditioning efficiency (since they are just air conditioners with reversing valves) and they have little need for heating. Electric stoves could help improve health a lot though, if they are currently cooking over open fires.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Klaxton ( 609696 )

        Not sure there is a lot of open fire cooking in a densely populated city. I was assuming that gas stoves would be replaced with electric. Usually the path to "green", at least in the West, is to electrify everything and get the electricity from green sources.

        But the Bloomberg article is short on details, maybe the initiative is just to make all the municipal services green.

        • And spending how much in the process to avoid that $920 million in predicted damage?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Klaxton ( 609696 )

            It is probably a lot more then $920 million in damage, a significant portion of the city would be under water due to rising sea level. Realistically, Mumbai going net zero alone probably would not have much effect on that but it might make the air fit to breathe.

            "The research, carried by many newspapers including The Indian Express, indicates that anthropogenic climate change will inundate significant sections of Mumbai by 2050. Unless the city takes significant action in the next three decades, the sea wil

  • Announced during a heat wave that will stretch the electrical power grid to its limits with less than 70% of homes with effective air conditioning in the richest city in the nation.

    How exactly in 15 years are they going to go green with 100% of power as it grows 7% per year.? 30% more cars even if they are all electric will require more concrete, street lights and be lined by more retail open late into the evening.

  • For example, it doesn't mention that Mumbai is sorta-like India's Silicon Valley. Most of the programmers I've worked with over the years were from there.

    So this is a big deal. Wonder if they're looking at seawalls.

    • Mumbai is NOT the silicon valley. May be silicone valley, given the starlets flocking to the Bollywood.

      The tech capital of India is Bangalore/Bengalooru. Closely followed by Madras/Chennai and Hyderabad. Mumbai is the New York of India, bustling, crowded, never sleeping, home to the stock market, used to be industrial now simply urban ...

      South India is poorer in natural resources and thus escaped the curse. They have to invest in human resources and they have done very well. Kerala was the first state t

  • Changes in emissions have a ~30-year latency before they show effect. It is what you do now that matters for what the effect will be then.

    (Disclaimer: Heard at a lecture at a "alumni" meet-and-greet day at my uni, not my field)

  • "In total, unabated climate change could cost the city $920 million."

    Brilliant solution, spend $1.7 BILLION on buses alone, plus god-only-knows how many more billions to avoid that $0.92 billion worth of "impact".

    I'm sorry, that just does not sound sane.

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