Chandigarh is charting an ambitious path toward environmental sustainability with its State Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC) 2.0, recently approved by the Union Environment Ministry. The city aims to reduce 1.26 crore tonnes of carbon emissions by the year 2030 through integrated strategies in energy, transport, infrastructure, and waste management.

Key highlights of the plan include:

• Solar Energy Expansion: From the current 90 MW, Chandigarh plans to scale its solar power capacity to 224 MW under its “Model Solar City” status.

• Electric Mobility Push: The city will transition its public transport fleet (buses and autos) to fully electric, aiming for 70% of total vehicles registered annually to be EVs by 2030.

• Green Buildings: All new government constructions will follow the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) and promote net-zero energy designs.

• Waste-to-Energy: Chandigarh will adopt advanced solid waste management systems to convert waste into usable energy.

• Energy Efficiency: Strict norms will be enforced for lighting and appliance usage in public offices and housing.