Public engagement
Opinions
The Climate Challenge as a Development Opportunity
Navroz K Dubash
Project Syndicate | 30 May 2025
Even if policymakers in developing countries see little value in pursuing large emissions reductions at the pace that climate advocates would like, climate-aligned development is still the best path forward. The key, both politically and economically, is to reframe the issue.
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.
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.
In the news
The big India melt: from heat stress to the politics of shade
The Migration Story Podcast | 17 June 2025
“India’s cities, like many cities in the developing and developed world, tend to pull or concentrate heat because of the cement, how close buildings are, how traffic moves, how sunlight hits the city and the angles at which it hits it. A lot of people’s houses have tin roofs and are cement structures so the houses themselves are heat trapping. When you add all of this together, it becomes quite clear that the climate is driving up the threat of the hazard. At the same time, the nature of Indian urban form is particularly ill-suited to containing this problem. Taken together, this points to a clear policy direction: we need long-term solutions that address the structural problems in how Indian cities work.” – Aditya Valiathan Pillai spoke about how shade is an elite commodity.
Trouble in the Air: How Pollution is Bleeding India’s Health & Economy
Outlook Business | 26 June 2025
“Most actions under NCAP have been targeted at dust management with measures such as road sweeping and water sprinkling. It’s not nearly enough to address the true burden of air pollution,” Bhargav Krishna was quoted in Outlook Business.
India Is Using AI and Satellites to Map Urban Heat Vulnerability Down to the Building Level
WIRED | 23 June 2025
“Part of the problem is that heat action plans aren’t legally binding. Heat waves aren’t recognised as state-specific disasters in most parts of India. Right now, only about eight states have formally declared heat waves as disasters. This means that local authorities aren’t obligated to prioritise heat action unless they get direct rapid response guidelines during the heat wave from higher levels” – Tamanna Dalal was quoted in WIRED.
Warmer nights, more humidity: Why 57% of districts face extreme heat risk?
The Indian Express | 17 June 2025
“Most of the HAPs put forth by multiple Indian cities lack long-term strategies to tackle the growing threat of extreme heat in the country, according to a study published in March this year by the Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC). The analysis also said that the cities having such strategies did not implement them effectively” – SFC’s report on assessing heat preparedness in 9 Indian cities was quoted in The Indian Express.
Speaking engagements
“The global food and land use system costs us around $12 trillion, compared to the market value of the global food system of $10 trillion. This manifests as hidden costs of poverty, ill health, and environmental degradation. That means the way we produce and consume food today is costing us more than we think, and it is hurting both people and the planet” – Sony R K spoke on food systems transformations over 2 sessions at Ashoka Young Scholars Programme. He explored food systems, why they matter, and why changing the current system is crucial for the future of our climate, communities, and ourselves. He also looked at incredible solutions like regenerative agriculture, which helps restore soil, capture carbon, and create healthier farms and ecosystems, and agroecology, which works with nature rather than against it.
SFC collaborated with Purpose to host a closed-door workshop that brought together urban planners, researchers, designers, journalists, and community leaders to co-create community-driven, non-policy responses to extreme heat. Moderated by Escandita Tewari, Sonali Bhasin and Tamanna Dalal, the session was structured around three themes: Heat at Home, Heat at Work, and Heat on the Road and built around the lived realities of four groups: gig workers, factory workers, indoor worker, and construction workers. Representatives from Jan Pahal, Hasiru Dala, SELCO, IIHS, Socratus, WRI, C40, APSA, and The Migration Story participated and surfaced a wide range of grounded and actionable solutions: creating rest hubs for workers, household-level water harvesting, improved ventilation in homes, simplified access to welfare schemes via local IDs, and shelters designed for dense urban areas that account for local climate and can be easily replicated.
Arunesh Karkun conducted a session introducing air pollution and the core concepts of air quality management for a group of exceptionally talented 8th graders at ‘Episteme 2025’, organised by the Pravaha Foundation and held at IIIT-Hyderabad. The interactive session involved group activities and lively conversations about understanding the fundamentals of air pollution, and creating a starting point for these young and eager learners to one day take over the complex world of air quality management.
“Quick fixes won’t solve a structural crisis. We need well-funded, well-equipped institutions to drive implementation. It’s time to shift focus from the least toxic emitters to pollutants causing real harm” – Bhargav Krishna spoke at the ‘Pollution Ka Solution: A Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion on Air Pollution’ organised by Chintan India in Delhi on May 21, 2025.
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.
