Event Report
P R Madhesh Raj
The six-day programme, “Understanding the Nuances of Climate Change in the Indian Subcontinent: Cohort 3.0,” organised by IMPRI’s Centre for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CECCSD), brought together speakers from different academic and professional backgrounds to discuss the changing climate landscape of India and, more broadly, the wider South Asian region. The sessions covered a wide range of issues, from the science of climate change and sustainable development to energy transitions and climate finance. What made the event particularly relevant was the way these discussions gradually moved from understanding the problem to looking at how the government, institutions, civil societies and communities can respond to it.
Day 1 Report: Understanding the Climate Crisis in the Indian Subcontinent
The first session set the context for the programme by looking at climate change as a much larger Earth-system crisis rather than narrowing it down to a problem of rising temperatures. Mr Soumya Dutta, Co-Convenor of the South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis (SAPACC), New Delhi, explained how changes in biodiversity, oceans, freshwater systems, land use and the atmosphere are closely connected. This also means that climate actions cannot be planned in silos, or within the boundaries of a single sector.
One of the key issues discussed by the speaker was the shrinking global carbon budget and the idea of planetary boundaries. The session pointed out that several ecological limits are already under considerable pressure, thereby raising concerns about climate tipping points and irreversible changes. The relationship between climate change and biodiversity loss was also highlighted, making it clear that protecting ecosystems is closely tied to addressing the broader climate crisis.
The discussion then focused on South Asia, particularly the Himalayas, the North Indian Ocean and the South Asian monsoon. Changes in these systems have direct implications for water availability, agriculture and extreme weather events. The session also brought attention to communities that face these impacts more directly and severely than others, including informal workers and fishing communities. A major takeaway of the session was that while mitigation remains important, adaptation and building resilience at the community level need much greater attention, especially in a region already experiencing the effects of climate change.
Day 2: Climate Governance and Sustainable Government
The second day shifted the discussion towards the interconnectivity between climate change, development and governance. The session’s speaker, Professor Krishnaraj, Visiting Professor, IMPRI; Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Policy, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore, India, began by questioning the common tendency to measure development mainly through economic growth and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While economic growth can improve incomes and living standards, it can also bring resource depletion, ecological damage and greater climate vulnerability.
The discussion therefore argued for a broader understanding of development, one that considers quality of life, environmental sustainability and social equity alongside economic indicators. An important part of the session was the discussion on the distinction between mitigation and adaptation. While reducing emissions and expanding renewable energy remain necessary, he stressed that adaptation has become an immediate concern for countries like India, since communities here are already dealing with heatwaves, cyclones, floods and changing rainfall patterns. Adaptation must therefore be built into governance, disaster preparedness, livelihood protection and public investment rather than treated as a response after a disaster.
The session also looked at local economic resilience where the speaker discussed about MSMEs, village-level enterprises, local communities and resource-based activities like coconut processing as possible ways of combining employment generation with sustainable development. The session finally brought in climate justice and climate-induced migration, with the example of the Sundarbans showing why rehabilitation and social protection need to become part of climate policy.
Day 3: India’s Energy Transition and Climate Commitments
The third day focused on India’s energy transition and the difficulties involved in moving towards a low-carbon economy while simultaneously continuing to meet the country’s developmental needs. Mr Srinivas Krishnaswamy, Founder, Trustee and Chief Executive Officer of the Vasudha Foundation, discussed how India’s position is different from that of developed economies.
India is still expanding its infrastructure and improving energy access, while also trying to reduce the carbon intensity of its growth. The session looked at India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and its long-term net-zero pathway. Renewable energy, energy efficiency, green mobility, carbon sinks and technological innovation were discussed as important parts of this transition. However, the speaker made an important note pointing that setting targets is only one part of climate action. Their actual impact depends on implementation and monitoring.
A significant portion of the discussion was devoted to India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) and the role of carbon markets. Carbon trading can create incentives for reducing emissions, but the session also raised the question about how such systems are governed and verified. In particular, credible monitoring, reporting and verification mechanisms are necessary if carbon credits are to represent genuine reductions rather than simply become another financial instrument. Overall, the session presented India’s energy transition as more than a shift from fossil fuels to renewables. It involves changes in infrastructure, industries, consumption patterns and governance. The larger challenge is to make this transition both environmentally meaningful and compatible with India’s continuing developmental needs.
Day 4: Climate Litigation, Activism and Environmental Advocacy
The fourth day brought the discussion into the field of environmental law and activism. Mr Debadityo Sinha, Lead in Climate and Ecosystems at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi, examined how India’s environmental laws and institutions have developed and the challenges they face in practice. The session began with the constitutional basis for environmental protection, Articles 48A and 51A(g), and moved into principles that have shaped environmental jurisprudence in India, including sustainable development, the precautionary principle, the public trust doctrine and absolute liability. This showed how environmental protection in India has evolved through a combination of legislation, constitutional provisions, judicial decisions and public movements.
The discussion also examined the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, and the process through which projects are screened, assessed and cleared. The importance of public consultation and scientific assessment was discussed in the context of balancing development with environmental concerns. The most critical part of the session dealt with recent changes in forest clearance and regulation, and concerns around exemptions under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 2023.
Examples of elephant corridors, Loktak Lake, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Aravallis helped illustrate how technical changes in environmental regulation can have wider consequences for ecosystems and communities. The session essentially raised one significant point: having environmental laws is not enough if their implementation and enforcement remain weak. Environmental advocacy, scientific assessment and stronger institutional scrutiny therefore remain important in ensuring that development does not come at the cost of ecological security.
Day 5: Climate Disasters, Extreme Events and Resilience
The fifth day focused on one of the most visible consequences of climate change in India: the increasing risks associated with extreme weather events. Prof. Anil K. Gupta, Professor & Chief Executive, Integrated Centre for Adaptation to Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainability ICARS, IIT Roorkee, the speaker for the session, discussed why disasters should be understood in terms of the actual impact of a flood, cyclone, heatwave, or other event, which depends heavily on the level of exposure and vulnerability of the affected population.
The session also connected India’s experience with the growing international discussion around loss and damage. A key point addressed was that the consequences of disasters extend beyond immediate physical destruction of the infrastructure alone. Tools such as Environmental Impact Assessments, Disaster Risk Assessments, risk audits and cost-benefit analysis can help identify potential risks before projects are implemented.
The session also highlighted the role of nature-based solutions, including the use of wetlands for improving urban resilience. This brought an interesting dimension to the discussion: that ecosystems are not simply things that need to be protected from disasters. Rather, they can also form part of the infrastructure used to manage climate risks. The overall emphasis of the session was on bringing climate adaptation and development planning together.
Day 6: Climate Solutions and the Way Forward
The final day brought many of the pertinent issues discussed during the entire programme. Mr Soumya Dutta, Co-Convener of the South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis (SAPACC), New Delhi, returned to discuss India’s climate commitments, adaptation needs, climate finance, loss and damage, regenerative economies and the role of communities in climate action. India’s Panchamrit commitments and the 2070 net-zero target were discussed in the context of both domestic priorities and India’s position within the Global South. At the same time, the session pointed to the gap that can exist between policy commitments and what is practical. Limited institutional capacity and inadequate financing, especially at the state and local levels, remain major challenges.
The discussion on adaptation was specifically grounded in practical examples. Measures such as farm ponds can improve resilience, but their effectiveness depends on whether communities have the resources and institutional support necessary to implement and maintain them. This brought attention to an often overlooked issue, which is that climate policy may be designed at the national level, but much of its success is ultimately determined by ground-level implementation. The session also discussed damage and climate justice, including the difficulties faced by farmers who lose crops to extreme weather while continuing to carry existing debts. The discussion suggested that public financing plays an important role here and that insurance mechanisms alone cannot address such losses.
Finally, the idea of regenerative economies connected environmental restoration with livelihoods and community participation. The session ended on the broader point that India’s climate response will require not just ambitious targets, but stronger institutions, better financing and practical solutions for the communities expected to live with the consequences of climate change.
Conclusion
Across the six days, the event presented climate change from several different perspectives without reducing it to a discussion about emissions alone. The sessions connected climate science with development, governance, energy, law, disaster management and social justice. More importantly, the discussions repeatedly returned to the gap between policy intentions and ground-level implementation.
From planetary boundaries and carbon markets to environmental clearances and disaster resilience, the event showed how closely climate change is tied to questions that are already part of everyday governance. The discussions also made clear that India’s response cannot depend only on national targets or technological solutions. Stronger institutions, local community participation, adequate financing and greater awareness and attention to vulnerable communities will be equally important in building a climate-resilient future.
Acknowledgement
This report was written by P R Madhesh Raj, a research intern at IMPRI, pursuing his M. A. in Political Science at Madras Christian College.
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