Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability
Strengthening India’s response to the climate crisis
The climate crisis is not an abstract challenge for the future. Its impacts on the world are visibly and starkly clear, and already present. With its rich natural resources, large population at risk, and significant potential for future growth, India must find a way to address the challenges of climate change without sacrificing its human development goals.
There is no single solution or silver bullet. We hope to focus on climate change interconnections with sustainability and social justice to forge more effective responses to the climate emergency.
Our work includes research, education and practical applications. We work in diverse ecosystems, locations and geographies across India. Our major focus is on cities which face the most difficult challenges but also give us opportunities for intervention.
100 Cities Mapping Project
India is on the fast track to urbanisation. Cities and their buildings are expanding into green spaces, wetlands, river, lakes, grasslands and forests in India. This has caused environmental problems, and those problems that existed have become worse, from air pollution to biodiversity loss and climate change. We need much better information on the growth of Indian cities. Satellite remote sensing provides a useful way to get such information. We use Google Earth Engine to develop semi-automated approaches to map the growth of India’s 100 largest cities over a period of 15 years, examining the impact of urban growth on the loss of water bodies, tree cover and open areas.
Trees in Indian cities
Trees are one of the first casualties of development in Indian cities. They are cut down for flyovers, underpasses, high speed roads, metros, building construction, and to make way for advertisement boards. Trees are of great importance as commons. They provide shade and sukoon for street vendors. They reduce air pollution and heat island effects. They help new migrants forge connections to cities through an imaginative process of environmental placemaking. Our research has been used in submissions to Indian courts by planners and policy makers, and has helped inform urban environmental movements against tree felling.
Where have all our gunda thopes gone?
Climate forecasts
A major challenge for climate planning is the lack of downscaled, location-specific, near-time climate forecasts that can help local area planners, media and civil society understand the challenges of climate planning. We are working to develop district-level climate forecasts for near-future and medium-future time periods, which can help feed into local policies for climate adaptation and resilience.
Research Grants
The Centre hosts the research grants of the Foundation on the same subject; the first cycle of the grant has already been released in 2021, and the second cycle in 2022.
Research Programme 2022 (1 July 2022- 30 June 2023)
Sl. No. | Name of the study | Name of the Researcher(s) (PI/Co PI) and the Institution(if any) | Grant amount (in INR) |
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1 | Stories of Climate Action: Democratizing Planning in Mumbai’s wetscapes | Rohit Mujumdar (PI), School of Environment and Architecture | 19,85,500 |
2 | Integrating citizen science in climate-change education in schools | Geetha Ramaswami, Nature Conservation Foundation | 15,18,000 |
3 | Voice Based Community Media for Climate Resilience | Sayonee Chatterjee, Gram Vaani | 9,99,995 |
4 | Making Books on Climate Change for Young Readers in India | Bijal Vachharajani, Pratham Books | 19,99,800 |
5 | Developing an Educational Framework for Climate Justice in India: With Special Reference to Clinical Legal Education | Madhuri Parikh, Institute of Law, Nirma University | 9,95,500 |
Research Programme 2020 (1 July 2020- 30 June 2021)
Sl. No. | Name of the study | Name of the Researcher(s) (PI/Co PI) and the Institution(if any) | Grant amount (in INR) |
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1 | Impact of the climate change on the traditional livelihoods of pastorals in Gujarat and their mitigation strategies | Varsha Bhagat-Ganguly(PI), Maldhari Rural Action Group (MARAG) | 19,85,500 |
2 | Helping avert perverse ecological impacts of climate change mitigation on India’s open natural habitats | Madhusudan M D, Independent Researcher | 10,00,000 |
Research Programme 2019 (1 July 2019- 30 June 2020)
Sl. No. | Name of the study | Name of the Researcher(s) (PI/Co PI) and the Institution(if any) | Grant amount (in INR) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Wetlands restoration — a training programme | Parama Roy, Okapi Research and Advisory | 4,98,960 |
2 | Kids for Climate | Bijal Vachharajani, Pratham Books | 5,00,000 |
3 | Understanding wastewater reuse as a climate change mitigation strategy — Bengaluru and hinterland. | S. Vishwanath, Biome Environmental Trust | 6,00,000 |
4 | Building local resilience to climate change through community outreach in the Lakshadweep Archipelago | Rohan Arthur, Nature Conservation Foundation | 7,20,000 |
5 | Climate Change Communications and Outreach at the Grassroots through Community Radio Programme on ‘Adapting to Climate Change and Adversities in Agriculture’ | Sandeep Khanwalkar, Society for Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA) | 9,99,900 |
Let’s talk Climate Change
Nature Writing for Children
Nature in our Cities
People
People
Publications
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Article
Good Luck or Bad Omen: Attitudes Towards the Slender Loris in the City of Bengaluru, India
Cities are characterised by social and cultural diversity. The management of urban wildlife requires developing a better understanding of cultural beliefs associated with wildlife in diverse urban settings. We document a range of cultural beliefs associated with the slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus), an endemic, nocturnal…
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Newsletter
Forests of Life September Newsletter
This is a monthly newsletter published by Azim Premji University, as a part of Forests of Life, a climate awareness festival celebrating forests — a quest and yatra of young people from across different parts to engage with the youth of this country. In this…
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Newsletter
Forests of Life July Newsletter
This is a monthly newsletter published by Azim Premji University, as a part of Forests of Life, a climate awareness festival celebrating forests — a quest and yatra of young people from across different parts to engage with the youth of this country. In this…
Forests of Life June Newsletter
Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability, Research Centre (2023)Chasing Soppu
Dhruthi Somesh, Harini Nagendra, Ranjini Murali, Rohit Rao, Seema Mundoli (2022)‘Songs of the lake’: Understanding cultural expressions of nature through dwindling folk-songs and mythologies in Bengaluru
Harini Nagendra (2023)Rethinking inclusivity and justice agendas in restoration of urban ecological commons: A case study of Bangalore lakes
Harini Nagendra (2022)Resilience and conservation of urban commons: Lessons from three community-restored lakes in Bengaluru
Dechamma C S, Harini Nagendra (2022)A new imagination for waste and water in India’s peri-urban interface
Seema Mundoli, Dechamma C S, Harini Nagendra (2021)Where have all our gunda thopes gone?
Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability, School of Development (2023)
Events
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Quiz Competition
ecoXplorers 2023
The first Nature, Biodiversity and Forests Inter-College Quiz Competition, organised as part of Forests of Life
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Webinar
Nature Writing for Children: Salim Mamoo and Me
Zai Whitaker, in conversation with Shashwat D C, about her books on nature and her upbringing in a family of conservationists
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Webinar
Nature writing for children: Hello, Sun!
Rajiv Eipe, Illustrator and Author, in conversation with Shashwat D C, on the different aspects of illustrating children’s books
Climate Crisis and the Indian Monsoon
Developing adaptation strategies to minimise economic loss and loss of life and livelihood
Let's Talk Climate Change | India's Energy Conundrum
Systems Thinking for Examining Sustainable Futures
नेचर राइटिंग फॉर चिल्ड्रेन: ये सारा उजाला सूरज का
इस महीने के वेबिनार में हमारे साथ जुड़ रहे हैं, जाने-माने लेखक संपादक सुशील शुक्ल जो अपनी रचना ये सारा उजाला सूरज का, हमारे साथ साझा करेंगे।
Nature in Our Cities: Bats Around Us
Know more about bats that abound around us, including the wonderful Flying Foxes.
Forests of Life | Our Nature Awareness Series
Inviting students and young professionals from various geographies of India. Selected interns will be eligible for a three-month paid internship programme.
Nature Writing for Children: The Tiger, The Bear and the Battle for Mahovann
Join us for a conversation with Akshay Manwani, author of the children's book The Tiger, The Bear and the Battle for Mahovann, as we discuss his book and the genre of nature writing for children.
Let's Talk Climate Change | Revisiting the Anthropocene: Towards a Historical Approach
The talk by Mahesh Rangarajan, faculty member, Ashoka University, will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Harini Nagendra, faculty member, Azim Premji University.
Rivers of Life
Using knowledge-sharing exercises on rivers amongst urban children, we hope to create more awareness amongst the next generation of citizens.
Dialogue on the Rivers of Bengaluru
Nature Writing for Children: When a forest wakes up, with Sudarshan Shaw
OMG! Snake! Look at snakes in a new light, with Gerry Martin
Nature Writing for Children: Up the Mountains of India
Nature Writing for Children: Wild and Wilful
Nature Writing for Children: Vikram-Aditya Series with Deepak Dalal & Sravanti Uppaluri
Nature Writing For Children: Coral Women by Lubaina Bandukwala & Aparna Karthikeyan
Nature Writing For Children: Talk with Katie Bagli & Chandrima Home
Nature Writing for Children with Benita Sen and Shashwat DC
Nature Writing For Children with Shobha Viswanath & Harini Nagendra
Nature Writing for Children: Talk with Arthy Muthanna Singh, Mamta Nainy & Madhuri Ramesh
Nature Writing for Children: Talk with Chanchal Singha Roy & Karishma Modi
News
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Could Udaipur, City of Lakes, turn into a dust bowl surrounded by denuded mountains?
An excerpt from ‘Shades Of Blue: Connecting the Drops in India’s Cities’, by Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli, published in Scroll.
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A Hot and Angry Earth
Climate change is not just global warming. It is a new era of extremes. The floods that Kerala witnessed in 2021, and which Greece faced last week, are not aberrations, but a sign of things to come, writes Harini Nagendra, in Deccan Herald.
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Plastic Earth
India is the second-largest generator of plastic waste, second only to the US. Plastic is cheap and convenient, but ultimately, we pay a steep price for this convenience. Harini Nagendra, in Deccan Herald, explores the way out.
Environment first, dear new government
In a city (Bengaluru) that always seems to be reactively scrambling to deal with environmental challenges, it will be critical for the new government to take sustainability seriously, writes Harini Nagendra, in Deccan Herald.
Heritage trees need legal rights
Trees that are decades and centuries old must have the same legal status as our heritage buildings, recognising their cultural significance, writes Harini Nagendra, faculty member, Azim Premji University, in Deccan Herald.
Harini Nagendra: Ecologist by profession, writer by passion
Harini Nagendra, faculty member, Azim Premji University, shares about finding her path in research, bias in academia, writing beyond research, and more, in conversation with Nita Shashidharan, in The Hans India.
Greening the country: Talk is cheap
Harini Nagendra, in Deccan Herald, states that the environment ministry's new approach to ecological restoration is the right path forward. However, she wonders if the budget commitment of INR 3,079 crore will match the stated intent.
Green growth: Budget numbers don't add up
While the output and growth narratives are clear, the increase in capex also signals increasing pressure on the environment, writes K C Adaina, in Deccan Herald.
Book review | At the feet of living things: Twenty five years of wildlife research and conservation in India
This is a must-read book for anyone interested in understanding the day-to-day complexities, frustrations and joys of working on wildlife conservation, writes Harini Nagendra, faculty member, Azim Premji University, in The Hindu BusinessLine.
A New Year resolution for the environment
Harini Nagendra, faculty member, Azim Premji University, in Deccan Herald, conducts a retrospective look back at the year that was—just as essential as New Year resolutions for the year. What did we do to the state of the environment in 2022?
Climate change: How the young will show us the way
If there is hope, it is with the next generation, who are not afraid to question our most basic assumptions about development, growth, and the environment, writes Harini Nagendra, Faculty member, Azim Premji University, in Deccan Herald.
How narratives of river-human entanglement can open up new ways in the study of life, in river landscapes
Namrata Sharma, student intern, Azim Premji University, in Guwahati Times, highlights how people from the Miyah community, living in the flood-prone regions of Assam, have devised various ways to adapt to the instability of rivers—a lifestyle as fluid as the Brahmaputra.
Machines on the river bed: A case study of Teesta and Rongyong
Indiscriminate mining is choking parts of the Teesta and Rongyong in Sikkim, writes Pema Yangden, a student intern at Azim Premji University, in Sikkim Chronicle.
Rivers of Life: An exhibition where children learn river conservation from personal stories
More than 300 persons worked for six months to create and curate the event, says Kunal Sharma, Faculty member, Azim Premji University, in conversation with Chiranjeevi Kulkarni, in Deccan Herald.
Explore 70 rivers at Rivers of Life festival, an initiative by Azim Premji University
Apart from Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Cauvery rivers, the Rivers of Life festival has also captured details of lesser-known but equally important rivers such as Ayad (Udaipur, Rajasthan), Arpa (Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh) and Khad (Kangra, Himachal Pradesh).
How citizens' ecological imaginations can impact the future of our green infrastructure
Listen to the podcast by Harini Nagendra, Faculty, Azim Premji University, in The Swaddle, on re-imagining environmental sustainability, reframing the development versus environment binary, and creating more equal cities by fostering urban commons.
Parliamentarians must ask more pertinent questions on climate change
Terms like ‘global warming’ or ‘climate change’ hardly reverberate in the sound-proof halls of Parliament. While there is a global crisis unfolding that is set to permanently shift the course of human history, most parliamentarians seem blissfully ignorant of it, writes Shashwat D C in Moneycontrol.