Mumbai Climate Week's impact depend on follow-through actions: CEO Shishir Joshi

Mumbai, Feb 24 (PTI) Days after the Mumbai Climate Week brought together diverse conversations on climate action, the organisers said the real measures of its impact will depend on follow-through action, including timelines, benchmarks and engagements in the months ahead. In an interview with PTI Videos, Shishir Joshi, founder and CEO of Project Mumbai and Mumbai Climate Week, highlighted that they are developing a structured monthly report to track the event's outcomes.

“In many ways, this will serve as our own report card, a tool for accountability. When people ask what the conference achieved, we want to be able to show them clear and credible outcomes,” Joshi said.

The three-day 'Mumbai Climate Week', which concluded on February 19, saw participation from top global leaders, politicians, grassroots and panchayat leaders.

Representatives and delegates from more than 30 countries attended the event.

The Project Mumbai CEO asserted that the 2027 edition of Climate Week will commence with a review of commitments made and progress achieved over the year.

“Looking ahead to the next edition of this Climate Week, I am confident that the opening day will be dedicated to reflecting on what we committed to and what we have delivered over the year,” he said.

He added that they want to begin with accountability, not projections, demonstrating that this has truly been a collective and collaborative effort.

Organisers are encouraging people to dedicate time to climate action to build what they describe as the country’s largest timebank, Joshi said.

A commitment of one hour a week on climate action would amount to 52 hours annually per person, he said, adding that if adopted widely, the collective contribution could significantly strengthen climate efforts.

Reflecting on the three-day event, Joshi further said their goal was never limited to counting footfalls, but meaningful participation and genuine contribution.

“We consciously curated a wide spectrum of conversations. These discussions needed to not feel elitist, but open and accessible to all. The programming reflected this balance, alongside sessions on climate finance, there were conversations around art and poetry,” he added.

He said the organisers were especially encouraged to see municipal schoolchildren in the audience, engaging with these themes.

Around 15 to 20 plenary and thematic sessions were held alongside dozens of community-led events across the city at the event.

More than 400 speakers participated across the three days. The Exhibition Arena featured dedicated spaces for more than 30 climate-tech finalists and various institutional booths showcasing urban and energy solutions. PTI ABU OZ OZ