Greens to launch climate action initiative for Mumbai Metropolitan Region on World Environment Day

Navi Mumbai: Environmental groups and citizen platforms across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will come together on the eve of World Environment Day to launch the “Climate Action Now” (CAN) initiative, citing rising heatwaves, shrinking green cover, vanishing open spaces and rapid destruction of biodiversity. A half-day roundtable conference, scheduled for June 4, will bring together environmentalists, biodiversity experts, activists and community organisations to deliberate on urgent climate concerns and chart out a collective climate action agenda for MMR.

The initiative is spearheaded by NatConnect Foundation and supported by platforms such as Sagar Shakti, Swarnsrishti Habitat Restorer Foundation, Parsik Greens, Sajag Nagrik Manch, and Save Belapur Hills and Human Chain Online forums. “If not now, when? If not us, who?” asked B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation.

“The worsening heatwave conditions and the disappearance of green and open spaces are clear warning signals. Climate action must move beyond symbolic observances and become a sustained people’s movement,” Kumar said. “Our city is changing rapidly. The air feels heavier, the green is thinning, and natural ecosystems are under severe stress,” greens said.

“Climate Action Now is not merely a discussion platform. It is a citizens’ call for urgent and accountable action before the damage becomes irreversible. Navi Mumbai’s fast-paced urbanisation has drastically altered hills, wetlands and natural habitats, forcing wildlife into retreat while intensifying urban heat stress,” said Nandakumar Pawar, director of Sagar Shakti.

“The traditional fishing community’s very existence is under threat due to reckless development carried out in the name of infrastructure expansion,” Pawar added. Jyoti Nadkarni of Swarnsrishti Habitat Restorer Foundation said citizens can no longer remain silent spectators to environmental degradation.

“This is not about protest alone,” said Sudhir Dani of Sajag Nagrik Manch. “It is about protection, responsibility and safeguarding the future of our city.” Sandeep Sareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society (NMEPS) said the time has come for citizens, experts, activists and resident groups to join hands for long-term climate resilience planning in Navi Mumbai.

Pointing to the systematic disappearance of green cover, Palm Beach Greens convenor Shrikant Patki called for the immediate adoption of the globally recognised 3-30-300 urban greening formula across Navi Mumbai. “The 3-30-300 formula ensures that every citizen can see at least three trees from their home, every neighbourhood has a minimum 30% tree canopy cover, and every resident lives within 300 metres of a green space,” Patki said.