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In November 2021 many Chennai residents came together to support a cause known as the Umbrella Rally. They marched in groups, urging authorities to take stock climate change and its potential impact on the most vulnerable.
The most recent release ReportThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC lists Chennai as one the most at-risk cities due to climate change.
As Chennai has experienced extremes in drought and flooding over the past few years, it is vital to assess and mitigate any potential impacts of climate change.
Protecting the city’s wetlands, expanding green cover, forest conservation and a move away from single-use plastic are some of the ways in which climate related challenges faced by the city can be addressed.
The State government’s announcement of the formation of Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC) provides promise that the state, and especially at-risk cities like Chennai, have a fighting chance in the future. The urgent need to combat climate change was clearly heard.
TNGCC was established under Section 8 of The Companies Act 2013. It is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that focuses on climate change adaptation and mitigation. The SPV is authorized to execute three key missions.
- Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission
- Green Tamil Nadu Mission
- Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission
TNGCC’s 12 members are headed by Supriya Sahu (Environment Secretary). This includes the Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) as well as nine directors. They are senior secretaries from various departments like municipal administration, water resources and housing, rural development and transport and energy. They play a critical role in tackling climate changes.
Although this unique initiative is being embraced by stakeholders, civil society, and the public, there are many challenges in the execution and monitoring of the missions in Tamil Nadu.
Supriya Sahu talks to Citizen Matters about the need to make Tamil Nadu a climate resilient state.
Where does the TNGCC receive funding?
The TNGCC, the apex body, oversees three missions. The equity of the non-profit company is Rs 5.35 crore. It can apply for funding or grants from any source, even the Government of India and international agencies.
In the Tamil Nadu budget Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Finance Minister, announced the creation of a Green Climate Fund. It will operate as a private entity, and will help to mobilize funds from other agencies. This is also for-profit. In six months, the GCF is expected to be operational.
Status of the allocation of funds:
- Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company – Equity: Rs 5 Crore
- Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission – Rs 77.35 crore of the announced Rs 500 crore for transformational climate action has been allotted for the financial year 2022-2023. The state government has also allocated Rs 10 crore for pilot activities in 10 villages that will be designated as Climate Smart Villages.
- Green Tamil Nadu Mission – Rs 21 crore allocated
- Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission – Funds awaiting approval
What is the role of TNGCC’s core team members?
The TNGCC’s core team involves me, the PCCF, members of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and the Director of Environment. The PCCF plays an important role as far as two missions are concerned – Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission and Green Tamil Nadu Mission. The Climate Change Mission will be overseen by the Director for Environment. The TNPCB will continue to play a role in all three missions.
It will also be responsible for monitoring water quality and pollution levels as part of the wetlands mission. It also plays a critical role in managing the climate crisis. This includes monitoring and recording emission levels, making efforts to reduce them, and monitoring water quality and flow in rivers. The manjapaiIt also covers movement, which plays a major role in all missions.
TNGCC’s work is also done through the existing system for governance at the district levels. When we can strengthen the existing mechanisms, it is not worth creating a parallel one. We will provide the necessary funding and expertise to all departments.
What efforts have been made to monitor the TNGCC’s works?
We have established a Project Management Unit (PMU), which will have experienced hands and experts to monitor the mission works. This will transform the economy and underpin affordability, sustainability and scalability. The PMU was established a month ago.
We currently have seven PMU employees on board. These PMU staff are not government officials, but have extensive experience in communication, climate, green mobility and green energy, as well as training and capacity building. As and when needed, more experts will be brought in.
How does the company plan to create a climate that encourages literacy?
TNGCC was created at a moment when climate initiatives are not common in the State. Despite many studies being conducted, there is still insufficient groundwork.
Climate change is an area that requires cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration, not only within government but also with private sector. Besides, citizen’s involvement is paramount in making these initiatives successful. We need a society that is literate to enable this collaboration to succeed.
TNGCC will make all stakeholders, including students, farmers, citizens groups, district officials, and citizen groups, climate literate. It will focus on capacity building, training and helping people understand the underlying issues of climate change. They will be exposed to the facts and challenged by the myths surrounding the subject.
Continue reading: Must return to our past and ‘Manjapai’ for a better, plastic-free future: Supriya Sahu, IAS
How will TNGCC address the problem of declining green cover?
Under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, a noteworthy TNGCC plan is to increase the State’s forest cover from the current 23.8 percent (India State of Forest Report 2019), and to 33 percent over the next ten-years.
The company plans to geotag all trees to increase survival rates. This will make planting trees difficult. The mission prioritizes the creation of small-scale urban forests by promoting native varieties such as palmyra and neem.
Such forests will be created in Open Space Reservation (OSR) lands, educational institutions’ lands, police battalion lands, community areas, traffic islands and even smaller spaces Furthermore, the Green Tamil Nadu Mission aims to create hi-tech nurseries by coordinating with farmers organisations and self-help groups. These works will be monitored by the Green Committees, which have been established at the district-level.
To help trees grow, we will create land banks that will be linked to the local nurseries. Last November, the company distributed 76 million seedlings under the agroforestry scheme. Collaboration was the key to this achievement.
What are the current measures taken to conserve green cover?
The mission’s main objective is to replace invasive and exotic species that have little or no biodiversity value and are harmful to the ecosystem. A policy has been developed to eradicate invasive species in Tamil Nadu.
NABARD has approved Rs 460 crore to restore degraded forests through afforestation in order to counter climate change.
What are the key objectives for the wetlands mission
We have already identified 100 wetlands in Tamil Nadu with the assistance of district forest officers (DFOs), and district collectors, with the aim of ecological restoration. Soon, steps will be taken to secure their borders, digitise the data about wetlands, and eco-restore them.
The inventorization process has started. It’s a complex task as we need to obtain survey numbers from revenue authorities, create digital maps for the wetlands and find the source of water within the wetlands. We also need to monitor the channels.
We are currently working on detailed documents for all 100 wetlands. Most of them are natural. We are also working to declare some of them as wetlands of national significance under the Ramsar Convention. 13 proposals have already been sent to the Government of India.
Continue reading: How an international tag can save the Pallikaranai marshland
Is Meendum Manjapai a TNGCC initiative
The revival of manjapaiThe Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission includes a yellow cloth bag. The campaign does not just focus on bags, but also promotes eco-friendly alternatives.
I personally have written more than 300 hotels asking them to switch and promote the use. manjapaiIn their respective locations. Their response was amazing. The hotel association expressed interest in exhibiting eco-friendly alternatives such as areca nut cups.
We are currently creating a list of alternative suppliers and producers for both hotels and the general public. We met with the Chief Secretary, senior secretaries, and other officials on March 5. They assured us that they would take steps to ban single-use plastic products in corporations, municipalities, panchayats, and in the private sector.
What strategies can you use to increase awareness on social media platforms?
TNGCC has taken on two important roles in promoting the manjapai movement. Having roped in Vijay Sethupathi as the campaign’s ambassador, two videos have been shot so far on a pro bono basis. These clips will be relaunched, and again brought to the public’s attention.
We also made good use of social media. We could only do so for a brief time due to the local body elections, and the model code. Now, we are looking into involving more social media experts to talk about the issue. manjapai.
What is the government’s plan to engage youth and support those who work for the climate cause?
Back-to-back announcements have been made by the government to encourage companies and individuals to support the TNGCC mission. The Green Champion Awards are a recent announcement that aims to honor the Green Thinkers at ground level.
Soon, we will be identifying 100 of these champions from all over the state. Already, the guidelines are in place and nominations have been requested by March 31st. The World Environment Day marks the distribution of the awards on June 5.
Another remarkable announcement is the decision to involve youth in climate change initiatives through the Chief Minister’s Green Fellowship Programme (CMGFP), which will be launched in 38 districts of Tamil Nadu. According to the government order CMGFP is designed to nurture and create a cadre of environmentally conscious, passionate, well trained, and process-driven leaders in the future.
