Public engagement
Opinions
Design national framework climate laws to enable low-carbon resilient transformation
Navroz K Dubash | 15 February 2024
In countries where an embedded-climate narrative has greater political resonance, seeking to enshrine an emissions regulation approach may prove unviable or limiting.
Why closing schools does not protect children from air pollution
Arunesh Karkun and Abinaya Sekar | 28 November 2023
It absolves educational institutions and government agencies of their responsibility towards ensuring clean air while hampering learning outcomes.
Rebalance attention from global target setting toward national climate politics and policy
Navroz K Dubash | 6 October 2023
The first Global Stocktake (GST) of progress recently submitted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) confirms that progress in reducing emissions is well behind what is required by science to limit global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. What is to be done?
In the news
‘Heatwaves are invisible yet pervade every aspect of society’: Aditya Valiathan in ThePrint
11 March 2024
Aditya Valiathan Pillai discussed the impacts of extreme heat on various vulnerable groups, why heatwaves are a public policy concern, and how we can combat them effectively.
A bird, A bureaucrat, and A big Judgement, Economic Times
16 April 2024
In Economic Times Morning Brief podcast, Shibani Ghosh spoke about the Supreme Court recognising the right against the adverse effects of climate change as a fundamental right and on climate litigation in India.
How Extreme Heat Will Impact India’s Election, Time
10 April 2024
Aditya Valiathan Pillai on elections in extreme heat: Having the right infrastructure (cooling centers, shade provision, etc.) is important, but it must be integrated into India’s long-term heat planning so that come election time, “it doesn’t take away the possibility of political life and prevent democratic participation.”
Is India ready for an election in extreme heat?, Scroll
7 April 2024
“It is important for political parties and district administration to know the localised temperature within a maidan or a polling centre and communicate that to local residents instead of relying on the nearest weather station which could be several kilometres away,” Aditya Valiathan Pillai said.
Speaking engagements
At the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s COP28 discussion on ‘Accelerating the Net Zero Transition in India’ in December 2023, Easwaran J Narassimhan spoke about the need for a climate law in India that’s less regulatory & more enabling in terms of being a guiding force for various ministries.
Shreya Shekhar was invited by the Department of Economics at Christ University, Delhi NCR in January to talk about a career in climate and environment research, and her experience in working on energy economics in the Indian space.
At the National Disaster Management Authority’s national workshop on heatwaves 2024, Aditya Valiathan Pillai spoke about how the financing problems at the heart of India’s heat action plans (HAPs) can be fixed using Centrally Sponsored Schemes. “There are strong overlaps between these well-funded schemes and HAP solutions,” he said.