The Tamil Nadu government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for implementing Urban Cooling Programme in the State to meet the objectives under the Tamil Nadu State Action Plan on Climate Change.
The MoU was signed on Wednesday between Atul Bagai, Country Head, UNEP and the State government represented by Environment Secretary Supriya Sahu, says a release.
The collaboration between the State government and UNEP will aim address the rapidly increasing demand for cooling in cities while supporting implementation of initiatives to adapt and counteract rising heat.
UNEP will work with the Environment Climate Change and Forest Department, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and Housing and Urban Development Department to prepare comprehensive action plans including improved urban design, enhancing green cover in cities, building efficiency measures, extreme heat planning and District cooling, the release said.
The MoU will facilitate capacity building and awareness raising for a wide range of stakeholders in Tamil Nadu on sustainable cooling including technological, financial, policy and institutional solutions. It will also enhance South-South co-operation through training and awareness raising to other States in India and other countries on the activities and lessons from the programme of work in Tamil Nadu.
It will facilitate comprehensive city and state-level planning for plastics waste management through scientific assessments and decision support systems, extended producers responsibility implementation frameworks, enforcement of single-use plastics bans, capacity building and awareness generation.
Tamil Nadu was the first of its kind special purpose vehicle in India to steer climate action in the State. The company guides three key missions of the Government, namely ., Green Tamil Nadu Mission, Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission and Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission.
The State government is also setting up Tamil Nadu Green Climate Fund with a fund size of ₹1,000 crore. It had also announced setting up of climate change missions in all 38 districts, the release said.