Public engagement
Opinions
Heatwaves are coming. Can India handle it?
Aditya Valiathan Pillai, Tamanna Dalal, Ishan Kukreti
The Indian Express | 25 March 2025
“The risks of the future are likely to be so severe, frequent and interconnected that they will require proactively identifying and tackling risk, girding the system for a state of permanent tumult, and relying on all-of-government coordination. The governance of extreme heat seems to be in that process of transition with commonly seen short-term actions across multiple departments, but limited preparation for the future”. Aditya Valiathan Pillai, Tamanna Dalal, and Ishan Kukreti, write in The Indian Express about our new report that assesses India’s preparedness for extreme heat.
Why action on extreme heat in Indian cities is falling short
Aditya Valiathan Pillai, Tamanna Dalal, Ishan Kukreti et al
Carbon Brief | 19 March 2025
“Adapting to increasing extreme heat will be central to urban living for decades to come. A late start to these efforts will increase pressure on the state in the future and risks exposing citizens to harms from warming that could be avoided.” Aditya V Pillai, Tamanna Dalal, Ishan Kukreti, Alexandra Kassinis, Lucas Vargas Zeppetello, Escandita Tewari, and Navroz Dubash write in Carbon Brief article about our new report that assesses India’s readiness for extreme heat.
Now for a green Bharat abhiyaan
Navroz K Dubash
India Today | 7 January 2025
Navroz K Dubash, writing on climate change in India Today’s ‘India @ 2025’ special issue, argues for keeping the pressure on developed countries for emissions reductions and finance but also suggests three key domestic priorities for India: Enhance climate resilience in cities/coasts, and plan for adaptation, e.g, in agriculture and water; Build a low carbon economy that creates jobs; Reform governance structures and the legal framework to address climate governance challenges.
In the news
Sweat And The City
Deccan Chronicle | 23 April 2025
“Heat, while recognised as a problem, doesn’t usually trigger calls for policy changes until its health or economic impacts are already felt. To mitigate this, we need to focus on capacity-building within vulnerable sectors, like gig workers and street vendors” – Aditya Valiathan Pillai was quoted in Deccan Chronicle on the importance of integrating heat resilience into urban planning.
Trading emissions to help cut air pollution more effectively
Mongabay India | 29 April 2025
“The Gujarat government is considering scaling up the air pollution market and introducing it to other cities, including Ahmedabad. However, replicating this model in other states could be challenging” – Annanya Mahajan spoke to Mongabay India on how trading emissions can help cut air pollution effectively. “The market is currently focused on PM (particular matter) trading. Air pollution comprises gaseous pollutants in addition to particulate matter, so such a framework would have to be put in place for other dangerous gaseous pollutants too. All of this will be contingent on building a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) that has transparent data and functions well”, she added.
‘Good measures, poor implementation, no legal teeth’: Can Delhi’s heat action plan face the heat?
Newslaundry | 28 April 2025
“Heat is a creeping disaster – unlike floods or earthquakes, it builds slowly and impacts multiple sectors at once. Managing it requires strong coordination across departments and levels of government. The HAP must act as a clear blueprint, with nodal officers and defined responsibilities to ensure a timely, multi-agency response” – Ishan Kukreti spoke to Newslaundry on the recently released Heat Action Plan (HAP) of the Delhi government. “There are good measures in the HAP, but without legal authority and dedicated funding, it’s just a loose set of suggestions”, he added.
Illnesses, income woes: Delhi’s outdoor workers battle heatwave, pollution
Business Standard | 25 April 2025
“Many Heat Action Plans (HAPs) rely heavily on directives issued during emergencies by disaster management and health authorities. The long-term institutionalisation of HAPs is weak across cities. Measures such as creating shaded rest areas, rooftop solar panels for cooling and increasing urban green cover are not consistently implemented in the most exposed communities” – Business Standard quoted SFC’s latest report on assessing heat action implementation in 9 Indian cities.
Speaking engagements
At an NIUA India expert talk titled ‘Donora to Delhi: Cities at the Heart of Air Pollution, Climate, and Health’, Bhargav Krishna explored the historical evolution of air pollution policy and how cultural narratives, public pressure, and policy responses have shaped the urban response to the twin challenges of air pollution and climate change.
At ‘India 2047 Building a Climate-Resilient Future’, by the Lakshmi Mittal & Family South Asia Institute, the Salata Institute of Climate & Sustainability, Harvard University, and MOEFCC from 19-22 March 2025, Aditya Valiathan Pillai presented findings from SFC’s report on India’s preparedness for a 1.5°C world, the current status of heat-related actions on the ground, and climate modeling that highlighted cities most vulnerable to the impacts of heat in the coming years. He also moderated two panels – (i) Adaptation Frameworks and (ii) Centering Health and Livelihoods While Planning Adaptation Frameworks.
SFC and Prayas Energy Group co-hosted a roundtable discussion on India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) on March 20. The session delved into key topics, including the scheme’s design, institutional framework, governance structures, target-setting strategies, and the dynamics of demand and supply and ensuring market stability.
We were thrilled to host Kelly Sims Gallagher, Dean and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University and Director, Climate Policy Lab for a lunch conversation on 17 March 2025 with the SFC team on ‘Trump, Tariffs, and Transitions’.
Aman Srivastava attended the Australian Grants Meet and Greet, hosted by the Australian High Commission on 27 February in New Delhi. The event provided a platform to discuss strategic priorities and explore collaboration opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, clean technology, green industrialisation, and more.
