Kirti Vardhan Singh Shares India’s Urban Sustainability Vision at IUCN Congress

At the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, India’s Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, outlined a roadmap for transforming the country’s cities into engines of low-carbon, inclusive growth. He underscored that when clear vision, robust financing, and active citizen participation come together, urbanization can accelerate decarbonization while improving quality of life.

Singh positioned India’s urban strategy within a broader sustainability ethos shaped by Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), highlighting policy alignment that promotes clean energy, efficient systems, and responsible consumption. He emphasized integrated planning, scalable national missions, and behavioral shifts as the backbone of this approach—complemented by efforts to develop carbon markets and expand renewable energy generation.

A city-first playbook: three pillars of support

To help cities cut emissions and build resilience, the government’s urban pathway is anchored in three pillars designed to move from pilots to citywide adoption:

• Standards and enabling frameworks: Clear rules for green buildings, energy codes, and improved municipal finance practices to embed sustainability in everyday urban decisions.
• Financing and risk-sharing: Central grants, targeted viability-gap funding, and growing access to municipal bond markets—especially green bonds—to catalyze investment in climate-friendly infrastructure.
• Capacity and knowledge: Training programs, shared data platforms, and model projects through initiatives such as Smart Cities, AMRUT, and urban planning reforms to strengthen local institutions.

Flagship programs moving from vision to implementation

Singh highlighted how national missions are translating policy into on-the-ground outcomes:

• Smart Cities Mission: Spanning 100 cities, the program blends central support with local planning to deploy smart LED street lighting, rooftop solar, and building energy management systems. The result is lower electricity consumption, more reliable services, and better urban governance.
• Energy-efficient building rules: City and state adoption of energy codes is steering new construction toward low-carbon design, cutting operational energy use over a building’s lifetime.
• Energy Conservation Act (amended 2022): Strengthened efficiency standards for buildings, appliances, and industry, while enabling a domestic carbon credit market that can reward municipalities and businesses for verified emissions reductions.
• AMRUT: Upgrades to water supply and pumping systems with efficient technologies are reducing both electricity demand and operating costs for municipalities.

Finance as a force multiplier

Scaling climate action in cities hinges on predictable capital and investor confidence. Singh noted the expanding toolkit available to local governments: direct grants to de-risk early projects; viability-gap funding to bridge affordability gaps for critical infrastructure; and a deeper municipal bond ecosystem, increasingly oriented toward green projects. Together, these mechanisms aim to move sustainable urban infrastructure from isolated demonstrations to mainstream deployment.

Policy stability and partnerships for compact, efficient growth

Looking ahead, Singh stressed the importance of stable national frameworks that help cities update by-laws, enforcement mechanisms, and development controls. Such updates are essential to support compact, transit-oriented urban form—reducing sprawl, cutting energy use, and improving access to services. He also called for broader technology partnerships and innovative finance to speed adoption of solutions in mobility, buildings, and water systems.

To unite climate ambition with social equity, the approach prioritizes projects that lower household energy bills, enhance clean mobility options, and strengthen resilience to extreme weather—benefits that are particularly vital for vulnerable communities. In this framing, sustainability is not an add-on but a pathway to more liveable, affordable, and healthy cities.

A vision for the rapidly urbanizing Global South

As urbanization accelerates across the Global South, Singh argued for city models that are green, inclusive, and economically vibrant, without losing the “human touch” in design and service delivery. With consistent policies, robust finance, and people-centric leadership, he said, cities can move decisively toward energy-efficient, low-emission, and climate-resilient development—advancing local livelihoods while contributing to global climate goals.