Chennai, Dec 11: Tamil Nadu government’s Climate Leadership Model has been recently accredited at UN’s Environment Assembly (UNEA).

Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC), a green community initiative has been lauded in the UNEA7, held at Nairoboi in Kenya.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu attended the environmental workshop and shared the state’s ground-tested model for turning environmental recommendations into real-world action.

Sahu spoke at the official Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) side event, on the title “Solutions for a Resilient Planet: Turning Knowledge into Action,” alongside Izabella Teixeira, Co-chair of the International Resource Panel; Frankie Orona, Executive Director of the Society of Native Nations; and Patrick Child, Deputy Director General, DG Environment, European Commission.

Taking forward the GEO-7 call for a community approach, Sahu described the green venture of Tamil Nadu that worked out in a mission mode under the aegis of Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC).

Underlining the aims and objectives of the TNGCC Sahu said, “We created a climate company whose board includes all ministries—finance, energy, agriculture, forests—ensuring accountability and coordinated action.”

Sahu continued that the innovative resolve, allowed Tamil Nadu to run four large-scale climate missions in viz the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, the Climate Change Mission, the Wetlands Mission, and the Coastal Restoration Mission. The 4 features altogether could realise plantation of over 110 million native trees, 2,400 hectares of new mangrove creation, 1,200 hectares of mangrove rejuvenation, and systematic mapping and restoration of wetlands across districts.

Highlighting Tamil Nadu’s 1,068-km coastline, Sahu noted that the state is restoring bioshields, strengthening coastal resilience and placing local and indigenous communities at the centre of climate decision-making.

Sahu also addressed biodiversity loss, calling it one of the most serious concerns flagged in the GEO-7 report.

She said, over the past four and a half years, Tamil Nadu has declared eight new wildlife sanctuaries and notified 103 new reserve forests to expand legal protection for ecologically sensitive areas.

Working closely with tribal communities across five tiger reserves, the state has cleared 34,000 hectares of invasive plants and introduced circular models where removed biomass is repurposed through industry partnerships.

Sahu further added that Tamil Nadu is now working on community-led carbon action & carbon credit. The state is piloting climate-resilient villages in 10 locations, empowering local communities to ‘Measure, report and verify’ (MRV) carbon stocks, especially in mangrove ecosystems, so that carbon credit benefits can be scientifically assessed and equitably shared.