India, Feb. 18 -- In Maharashtra, 44 cities, accounting for 75% of the state's urban population, have pledged to become net-zero by 2050. These cities, central to Maharashtra's economic ambition to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030, are also increasingly threatened by escalating climate-induced risks. Over the past decade, droughts have doubled, cyclones have tripled, and flood events have quadrupled. In 2023-24, the state spent Rs.7,537 crore on disaster relief, underscoring the rising fiscal implications of climate-induced risks. The next five years are crucial for Maharashtra to show how economic ambition can be aligned with urban resilience.

Currently, most cities in Maharashtra are in the process of developing long-term climate a...