COUNTRY SNAPSHOT

This fact sheet from the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) outlines its activities and research projects in India as of March 2013. The document highlights efforts to integrate climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR) into policy, specifically focusing on heat-health vulnerability in Ahmadabad, disaster management in Leh, and the promotion of climate-adapted shelter design and green construction.

• CDKN is supporting city and state authorities in Ahmadabad, Gujarat, to address extreme heat through the project 'Climate Change: Addressing Heat-Health Vulnerability in Rapidly Urbanising Regions of Western India'. This initiative led the Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to develop a Heat Action Plan scheduled for launch in April 2013. Practical adaptations include the Smt. Shardaben General Hospital converting its black tar roof to a china-tiled mosaic and moving its maternity ward to the ground floor during summer to reduce infant mortality.
• A research project involving SEEDS, Kyoto University, and IIT is working to integrate disaster risk management into state-level decision-making. In Leh, the project identified that the existing Disaster Management plan created after the 2010 floods focused on relief rather than risk management. The project developed a local plan for the Sakti area using village-level resource maps and action plans, which local councillors are now discussing for district-wide scaling.
• The ISET project 'Sheltering from a gathering storm' (April 2012 – March 2014) uses cost-benefit analysis in Indian and Vietnamese contexts to promote climate-adapted shelter design. The project involves participatory processes with communities and design competitions for architects to create low-cost, climate-resilient structures. It is planned to expand its scope to include designs for extreme heat and shelter for communities in Pakistan.
• The adoption of green construction in India is hindered by several barriers: a lack of technical capacity and awareness among developers, a lack of quantified benefits for alternative technologies to aid decision-making, government bureaucracy where reviewers lack technical expertise, and the need for behavior change among users to optimize passive design strategies.
• CDKN has committed approximately GBP 1.5 million to provide technical assistance and research in India, specifically supporting States in implementing State Climate Change Action Plans. Other initiatives include the South Asia Climate Change Award (SACCA) Fellowships, which aim to improve media coverage of climate change through journalists.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2013). COUNTRY SNAPSHOT. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/India-Country-Snapshot.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. COUNTRY SNAPSHOT. 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/India-Country-Snapshot.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=COUNTRY SNAPSHOT |date=March 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/India-Country-Snapshot.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2013country, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{COUNTRY SNAPSHOT}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/India-Country-Snapshot.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }