A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) was signed on the 25th of July, 2018 for implementing Accelerating Climate Action Through the Promotion of Urban Low Emission Development Strategies (Urban LEDS II) project supported by the European Commission. The project will be implemented by UN-Habitat and ICLEI South Asia.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by promotion of various Low Emissions Development (LED) oriented strategies at city level. This objective is aligned with the implementation of the Paris Agreement the under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

An assessment of all municipal sectors including water, wastewater, solid waste management, energy, transport and urban planning will be undertaken and specific actions proposed to reduce energy intensity of municipal services and city actions, thereby leading to GHG emissions reduction.

The signing was done in the presence of Mrs. Nanda Jichkar, Hon’ble Mayor of Nagpur; Mr. Virendra Singh, Hon’ble Commissioner; Mr. Ramnath Sonawane, CEO of Nagpur Smart City (NSSCDCL); Mr. Devendra Mahajan, Environment Department; Mr. Rajesh Dufare, General Manager, Mobility Division; Mr. Chitnis, Water Works Department; Mr. Emani Kumar, Executive Director, ICLEI South Asia; Ms. Soumya Chaturvedula, Deputy Director, ICLEI South Asia; and Mr. Shardul Venegurkar, Project Officer, ICLEI South Asia. 

As it is necessary to understand the baseline energy demand and energy mix in the city, a GHG emission inventory will be developed for the last three to five years based on the determined energy use. Thereafter, based on the identified critical sectors, implementable low carbon solutions and strategies will be suggested.

A climate change vulnerability assessment will be conducted; hotspots within the city that are significantly vulnerable to climate change impacts will be identified. Strategies to adapt to climate change impacts will also be identified. International experts will be involved in the project to conduct feasibility studies and develop small scale pilots, which can then be scaled up by the NMC.

The project is also being implemented in Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Rwanda, and India.