Maha may switch to clean energy from thermal | Economic Times

The Maharashtra government could be on its way to shifting from thermal power to wind, solar or other environment-friendly sources of energy as the state begins efforts to implement climate mitigation measures. The state government on Wednesday decided to form a state council for climate change to oversee the state’s efforts. It will be working with different departments in a coordinated manner to implement those steps.The council would be headed by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and minister Ajit Pawar would be the deputy chair. The council would coordinate with different state departments on corrective steps and present a monthly report to the cabinet.The climate mitigation and adaption goals are not just on paper. ET spoke to Maharashtra’s environment secretary Manisha Mhaiskar, who said, “We would be working with five departments — energy, transport, industry, agriculture and urban development — on climate mitigation and adaptation measures. These are the core sectors to work towards a carbon- neutral pathway.”Giving an example of how these departments could help, she said, “The energy department could have a time bound plan to shift from thermal power stations and rely more on wind or solar energy.”Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, environment and tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray said the United Nations’ Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that mentioned the adverse effects witnessed by the state was the immediate trigger for the formation of the council.Aaditya said that henceforth each cabinet note from different departments would carry a point on how the proposal would work towards the goal of sustainability. Describing the urgent need for taking corrective measures, he said that the current change in climate and extreme weather events have showed that “we are in a climate emergency and we don’t have the luxury to wait any longer”.The minister later tweeted that an action plan would involve departments like energy, transportation, industry, agriculture and urban development for adopting environment-friendly programmes.