NEW DELHI: India has joined the United Nations ‘Race to Resilience‘, a global campaign to mainstream the idea of climate resilience in cities across India during the recently concluded COP28 event in Dubai. The Climate Centre for Cities (C-Cube) at the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), an autonomous institution under the ministry of housing and urban affairs, will spearhead this initiative.

‘Race to Resilience’ is a global platform to bring together non-state actors, investors, businesses, cities, regions, and civil society to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable to the climate crisis by 2030.

In existence since 2020, the C-Cube has developed and implemented the ClimateSmart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF), a first-of-its-kind city assessment framework on climate-relevant parameters for Indian cities. Currently, the third round of the assessment is in progress for 220 cities across India. Under the CSAF framework, C-Cube has developed and delivered 26 training modules to improve aspects of urban planning, green cover, and biodiversity; energy and green buildings; mobility and air quality; water management and waste management.

NIUA director Debolina Kundu said: “Urban India is growing rapidly, and it is estimated that 40% of India’s population will be residing in the urban areas by 2030. It is crucial, that urban growth is aligned towards reducing GHG emissions intensity and strengthening capacities of the cities to ‘bounce back better’ from climate-related extreme events and disaster risks.”

She said India joining the global campaign will act as a strategic partnership that underscores the commitment to address unique challenges posed by climate change and help foster sustainable development, build resilience, and enable cities to withstand environmental, social, and economic shocks.