Pune, 4th July 2025: To tackle the growing impact of climate change and carbon emissions, Maharashtra has begun implementing its State Climate Action Plan (SAPCC), a move that is expected to yield positive environmental outcomes. Dr. Abhijit Ghorpade, Director of the State Climate Action Cell, expressed confidence in the plan's effectiveness while speaking at a panel discussion organized by Bhawtal Foundation and Micro Innotech on the theme, “How to Face the Challenge of Climate Change?”
The event, part of the ‘Bhawtal Talk’ series, featured noted climate scientists Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll and Dr. Vineet Kumar Singh, along with Bhawtal Foundation founder-director Dev Anand Londhe and Micro Innotech’s Rajesh Pawar. The panel raised serious concerns over increasing carbon emissions and their direct consequences on urban life, agriculture, and natural ecosystems.
Dr. Ghorpade emphasized that cities are at the center of the climate crisis, with buildings being the largest contributors to carbon emissions. This has a direct negative impact on both citizens and the environment.
Highlighting Maharashtra’s proactive stance, he said the state has rolled out its Climate Cooling Action Plan to address rising temperatures, frequent heat waves, erratic rainfall, sea level rise, and extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and cyclones. He added that the number of extreme heat days has doubled over the past 50 years.
Adding to the urgency, Dr. Roxy Koll noted that carbon emissions are accelerating at an alarming rate, heating up ocean waters and disrupting rainfall patterns. The result is erratic and unpredictable monsoons, which in turn are creating serious challenges for farmers and agricultural productivity.
Dr. Vineet Singh revealed that in the past 20 years, cyclones have increased by 50%, with wind speeds reaching up to 150 km/hr. The unpredictability of these storms, sometimes intensifying suddenly or weakening without warning, calls for improved forecasting systems, especially for the critical 12-hour window after a cyclone strengthens.
Reflecting on recent climate trends, Dr. Ghorpade shared that over the past decade, the frequency of droughts has doubled, cyclones have tripled, and floods have quadrupled in the state, an alarming pattern the government is determined to confront with strong and sustained action.
