“Climate law in India should differ from those in developed countries, which focus primarily on emissions. Instead, it should emphasize adaptation and resilience, similar to approaches in Kenya and South Africa. Rather than being regulatory, it should facilitate coordination, knowledge sharing, and community engagement.” – Shibani Ghosh at a panel discussion on ‘Transforming Climate Litigation’ by IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute. Watch here.

“Indian cities should keep investing in and expanding public and non-motorized transport options, even as it takes time for behavioural changes to fully take effect,” Arunesh Karkun said at the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) discussion on ‘Revamping urban transport to check congestion and pollution and increase economic efficiency’ on 22 August 2024.

At the What Works Climate Solutions Summit on June 11 at Technische Universität Berlin, Aman Srivastava presented on ‘Addressing path dependence in emissions-economy models for emerging economies’ and how developing countries can better explore possible low-carbon development pathways and align future policies with their needs.

“Our climate change discourse can no longer ignore the questions of climate justice for the most marginalised Dalits, Adivasis, women, children, and other socio-economically disadvantaged groups.” – Suravee Nayak at a session on ‘Climate Justice and Marginalised Social Groups in India’ at the Ambedkar Summer School 2024 organised by the Centre for Dalit Studies and
Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, South Asia.

At the 8th Melbourne Forum on Constitution Building in Asia and the Pacific, Shibani Ghosh highlighted a key constitutional challenge in India’s approach to climate change: dispersed law-making power between the Union and the states. “A complex problem like climate change requires extensive cooperation, knowledge sharing, as well as strategic partnerships across levels of governance and outside the government. Conventionally, the Indian federal set-up is not conducive to such engagements.”

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.