Aaditya Thackeray calls for Climate Change Councils at Centre, State levels to tackle pollution

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray. File

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has called for the establishment of Climate Change Councils at the Central and State levels, modelled on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, to ensure coordinated action against pollution and climate change.

In a post on X on Thursday, November 12, Mr. Thackeray criticised the Centre over deteriorating environmental conditions across the country and accused it of presenting misleading statistics and engaging in “greenwashing” rather than addressing the crisis.

He proposed that a central Climate Change Council be chaired by the Prime Minister and include Environment Ministers from all States. The council, he suggested, should meet every three months to review environmental data, climate targets and the progress made towards achieving them.

Mr. Thackeray also recommended including Union Ministers and representatives from departments such as urban development, rural development, energy, agriculture, industry and roads, depending on the issues under discussion.

At the State level, he proposed similar councils chaired by the respective Chief Ministers, with participation from relevant departments to monitor the implementation of climate action plans.

Referring to the ongoing COP31 climate conference in Türkiye and upcoming environmental events in Mumbai, including the Earthshot Prize and Mumbai Climate Week, Mr. Thackeray questioned the Centre’s commitment to fulfilling its international climate obligations.

He alleged that discrepancies between official environmental statistics and actual conditions had affected India’s standing on international climate indices.

Highlighting the impact of pollution on citizens, Mr. Thackeray said people were increasingly being forced to spend their own money on air purifiers, water purifiers and access to safe food despite paying direct and indirect taxes.

He also claimed that worsening environmental conditions were forcing some citizens to relocate and prompting businesses to consider leaving the country, potentially affecting employment opportunities.

Mr. Thackeray questioned whether the government was adequately addressing citizens’ basic needs, including access to clean air, safe drinking water and uncontaminated food.

He warned that failure to address climate change could have far-reaching consequences for India’s economy and national security.

Emphasising the country’s population, demographic dividend and economic potential, Mr. Thackeray said timely climate action could create significant opportunities. However, he cautioned that missing this opportunity could pose serious social, political, economic and national security risks.