Mumbai Climate Week 2026 Inaugurated: A Defining Moment for Climate Action in India and the Global South

MUMBAI, India, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The city of Mumbai hosted an inaugural event on February 17, 2026 focusing on citizen engagement via collaborative approaches towards problem solving between multiple stakeholders. This new event, titled the Mumbai Climate Week 2026, is being organized by Project Mumbai in conjunction with the State Government of Maharashtra and with significant support from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Over the next three days, this forum will bring together leaders from government agencies, international organizations, private-sector leaders, innovative thinkers, philanthropists, academics and young people who are interested in addressing climate issues to create innovative, inclusive and implementable solutions to climate change. Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and Hon. Minister Pralhad Joshi (India's Federal Minister for New & Renewable Energy) attended the opening ceremony, as did many senior state officials and representatives from several partner organizations from around the globe.

"Under PM Modi we are decoupling growth and emissions," said Mr. Pralhad Joshi, Minister for Renewable energy. He also underlined the fact that the last decade has changed the way the world looks at economic growth. "India has been in forefront of the way we grow and with significantly reducing carbon emissions."

Maharashtra – Moving Climate from Commitment to Competitiveness

In his keynote address to those in attendance, Mr. Fadnavis described the significance of this event as a critical milestone for India's leadership role as it relates to climate change: "Mumbai Climate Week represents an unprecedented important achievement — that is, India now possesses a first-of-its-kind forum to facilitate significant acceleration of climate actions on a worldwide basis through a focus on Mumbai, India and the entire Global South."

Mumbai Climate Week 2026 — India's first dedicated platform advancing climate action

The Chief Minister underscored India's clean energy momentum under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that India has crossed 260 GW of renewable energy capacity and recently added 55 GW in a single year — 75% of which came from renewable sources.

"We see climate action much beyond compliance — we see it as competitiveness. States that move early will attract capital, talent and innovation. Maharashtra intends to lead that movement."

Speaking at the session CEO and Co-Founder of Project Mumbai & Founder of Mumbai Climate Week, Mr. Shishir Joshi said, "For Mumbai it is daily life. Mumbai – a city of immense diversity and dynamism, has always stood resilient to the face of challenges. From monsoon floods to public health crises, to terrorist attacks, its people embody the spirit of adaptation, innovation, collective strength and above all kindness. Mumbai is a living test bed for Climate solutions, as the financial capital of India and the melting pot of culture, Mumbai also the country's kindness capital, is uniquely positioned to lead the way in Climate resilience setting an example for the cities across Global South."

Mumbai as a Climate Finance Gateway

Emphasising Mumbai's role as India's financial capital, the Chief Minister called for scaling climate finance across emerging economies:

"If climate capital must flow at scale, Mumbai is ready to become a medium for that flow. Mumbai Climate Week must become more than a platform for dialogue — it must become a platform for delivery."

He urged multilateral institutions, private finance, and philanthropy to collaborate through catalytic capital, blended finance, innovative risk-sharing frameworks, and patient capital for early-stage technologies.

Renewable Energy and Inclusive Transition

Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, lauded Maharashtra's leadership and reaffirmed India's commitment to inclusive climate growth:

"India's renewable energy transition is not just about capacity addition — it is about building an inclusive and self-reliant green economy. Platforms like Mumbai Climate Week demonstrate how states, cities, industry, and citizens can work together to accelerate clean energy adoption and climate resilience."

He emphasised the importance of green hydrogen, solar expansion, electric mobility, and domestic manufacturing in strengthening India's energy security while reducing emissions.

The commemorative Customised My Stamp marking the Mumbai Climate Week was formally released by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, in the presence of senior dignitaries. The Chief Postmaster General, Maharashtra & Goa Circle, Mr. Amitabh Singh, joined the dignitaries on stage for the ceremony. As part of the release, albums containing the special stamp were distributed to all dignitaries, following which Mr. Singh presented the stamp to the Chief Minister for the formal unveiling.

The dignitaries collectively unveiled the album, marking the official release of the commemorative stamp, followed by a photo opportunity on stage. The event also featured the launch of the Mumbai Climate Week Theme Report, titled 'Climate in the Global South: Advancing Innovation and Collective Action'. The report, developed in collaboration with Monitor Deloitte, highlights ground-up innovations from across the Global South and outlines how such efforts can be accelerated through targeted collaboration, enabling policy frameworks, and access to climate finance. The report was formally unveiled by Mr. Shubhranshu Patnaik, Partner and Leader, Sustainability and Climate, Deloitte South Asia, along with the dignitaries, amid a photo session.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) further formalised several strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading global institutions and investors. These partnerships reaffirmed Mumbai's position as an emerging global metropolitan growth engine and represented structured, action-oriented collaborations focused on translating climate ambition into measurable outcomes. Key MoUs were exchanged with several prominent partners: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Represented by Mr. Martin Krause, Global Head, Climate Change Division. This partnership will align MMR's Climate Action Plan with global standards, the Paris Agreement framework, and India's Net Zero 2070 commitment, strengthening mitigation and adaptation at the metropolitan scale. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Represented by Mr. Naim Keruwala, Regional Director – South & West Asia. The collaboration seeks to integrate global benchmarks for emissions reduction, resilience planning, and metropolitan climate governance.WRI India (India Resources Trust): Represented by Mr. Madhav Pai, CEO. WRI will provide data-driven research support for emissions measurement, sectoral diagnostics, and implementation frameworks to ensure accountability and measurable results.

The Chief Minister concluded: "History will not judge us by declarations. It will judge us by execution — by the megawatts we deploy, by the emissions we avoid, by the cities we protect, and by the farmers we support. Maharashtra stands committed to scaling solutions. Mumbai stands ready to lead."

About Mumbai Climate Week

Mumbai Climate Week 2026 (17–19 February 2026) is India's first dedicated climate action platform focused on metropolitan-scale implementation, finance mobilisation, resilience planning, and citizen engagement. Led by Project Mumbai in partnership with the Government of Maharashtra and supported by BMC, it seeks to position Mumbai as a global climate solutions hub and a climate finance gateway for the Global South.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2915873/MCW_Stamp.jpg