Search Climate Insights Directory

The document addresses the financing gap for urban Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in India, where investment remains heavily dependent on public funds. It proposes a three-step guidance framework: identifying the enabling policy environment, leveraging financial and business mechanisms, and applying a nine-factor project evaluation framework. The guide maps existing Indian national and sub-national policies—including forestry, water, and infrastructure schemes—that can be leveraged for NbS. It also catalogues various financial instruments (such as municipal bonds, green bonds, and blended finance) and business models (including carbon credits and user-pay systems) to improve project bankability. A repository of nine global and domestic case studies, such as Chennai's municipal bonds for stormwater drainage and Chicago's Tax Increment Financing for green roofs, illustrates replicable approaches for Indian urban contexts.

India's transition to electric vehicles (EVs) presents a dual reality for automotive MSMEs, which comprise 80% of the auto-component manufacturing base. While the decline of internal combustion engine (ICE) components threatens traditional revenue streams, the shift creates opportunities in high-value EV components like battery housings and motor casings. However, MSMEs face significant barriers, including high capital expenditure, a 'Valley of Death' in prototype financing (TRL 4-6), and a shortage of skilled labor. To address these, the report recommends the establishment of the Automotive Component Technology Upgradation Financing Facility (AC-TUFF) to provide blended finance and risk-mitigation tools.

The document details a project by the Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) and Selco Foundation to upgrade the home of Dipika ben Malik, a seamstress in the Bhagwatinagar slum of Ahmedabad. The original structure, featuring an asbestos roof and low plinth, caused productivity losses and increased electricity costs during heatwaves and flooding. The intervention replaced the roof with PUF panels, raised the plinth level, and solarized appliances, creating a climate-resilient environment that protects the resident's income and living conditions.

The briefing highlights the economic and environmental value of urban nature—such as forests, street trees, and wetlands—as a tool for climate mitigation and adaptation. It asserts that the global value of urban nature's benefits is nine times its costs and provides specific examples from Sacramento, Ahmedabad, and Curitiba to demonstrate how nature-based solutions can reduce building energy demand, lower the carbon footprint of stormwater management, and decrease transportation emissions. The document concludes by calling for an increase in annual investment in urban nature projects from $32 billion to $135 billion by 2030 to realize an estimated $2 trillion in annual net benefits.

The document analyzes how gender norms, poverty, and social structures exacerbate the vulnerabilities of women and girls to heat stress and limit their access to cooling services. It highlights specific risks in healthcare, domestic labor, and agriculture, while calling for sex-disaggregated data and gender-transformative policies to achieve universal sustainable cooling.

The report argues that a significant 'urban services divide' exists in the global South, where over 1.2 billion people lack reliable access to housing, water, sanitation, energy, and transport. This divide creates a cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. To break this cycle, the authors propose seven transformations: prioritizing the vulnerable in infrastructure design, partnering with alternative service providers, improving local data through community engagement, supporting informal workers, innovating financing and subsidies, promoting transparent land management, and creating diverse governance coalitions. The report emphasizes that these shifts can yield cascading economic and environmental benefits, including reduced GHG emissions and improved public health.

The author contends that the Indian government's response to Covid-19 was characterized by a lack of preparedness, the scapegoating of the Muslim community, and a sudden lockdown that stranded millions of migrant workers. The text asserts that the state leveraged the crisis to arrest activists, create a non-transparent relief fund (PM-CARES), and weaken environmental regulations through the Environment Impact Assessment Draft 2020 to favor private capital.

In January 2019, Ahmedabad raised approximately $26.2 million through municipal bonds to fund green projects, including waste management, water supply, and the cleaning of the Sabarmati River. The case study highlights that green municipal bonds are effective for climate-resilient infrastructure due to their long tenors (10-20 years) and suitability for large-scale projects. Success factors for such issuances include a city's strong financial risk profile, good credit ratings, operational performance, and governance. Additionally, the document notes the role of the Indian government's Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in incentivising market-based financing and easing issuance rules to allow foreign portfolio investment.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) successfully raised 200 crore Indian rupees (INR) through municipal bonds in January 2019 to fund green projects, including waste management, water supply, and the cleaning of the Sabarmati River. The bonds were oversubscribed 5.42 times, receiving INR 1,085 crore in subscriptions from 19 institutions. This success is attributed to AMC's AA+ credit rating from CRISIL and India Ratings, reflecting strong financial health and operational efficiency. The document highlights the role of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in incentivising and easing the rules for municipal bond issuance to support climate-resilient infrastructure.

The document argues that climate change is already causing avoidable injuries, illnesses, and deaths while damaging healthcare infrastructure. It highlights a significant global adaptation gap, noting that funding for health adaptation is less than 1% of international climate adaptation finance. The authors propose a framework for building climate-resilient health systems focusing on workforce knowledge, information systems, service delivery, and adequate financing. Key recommendations include increasing research investments, developing scenario-based integrated adaptation plans, and promoting zero-emission technologies to reduce the overall adaptation burden.

The report identifies that 1.05 billion people remain at high risk due to a lack of cooling access, while another 2.2 billion are at risk of adopting inefficient cooling technologies. It advocates for a shift from equipment-based projections to a needs-based assessment covering thermal comfort, food security, and medical cold chains. Key progress is noted in the development of National Cooling Plans in India, China, and Rwanda, alongside the launch of the Cool Coalition and innovative financing models like Cooling as a Service (CaaS).

The report outlines a multi-pronged approach to building cooling, emphasizing the transition from active air conditioning to passive design and high-efficiency technology. It details various technical solutions—ranging from 'super-efficient' AC units and passive cooling techniques to wearable devices and the use of waste cold from LNG terminals. The document also analyzes policy levers such as Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and behavior change campaigns like Japan's 'Cool Biz'. Finally, it explores innovative business models to improve affordability for the poor, including Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG), ESCO models, and public-private partnerships in countries like India, Mexico, and Bangladesh.

The report outlines a variety of passive and active cooling strategies for urban environments, ranging from nature-based solutions like tree planting and green roofs to technical interventions such as cool pavements and district cooling systems. It emphasizes the importance of integrated urban planning, the implementation of Heat Action Plans to protect vulnerable populations, and the use of diverse policy incentives and business models to scale these solutions.

The report examines the growing global need for cooling, driven by urbanization and rising incomes, particularly in developing countries. It warns that a surge in air conditioning (AC) use could lead to massive increases in electricity demand and urban heat island effects. The document also details the critical role of cold chains in reducing food loss and ensuring vaccine viability, while emphasizing the need to 'leapfrog' high-emission cooling technologies to avoid severe environmental impacts.

The document details the implementation of South Asia's first Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, which has since influenced 17 cities and 11 Indian states. It outlines the multifaceted threats of heat waves—including health risks, economic productivity loss, and infrastructure damage—and provides a framework for preparedness through early warning systems, public awareness, medical capacity building, and long-term urban adaptation like 'cool roofs'. The guide emphasizes the roles of political will, inter-agency partnerships, and scientific evidence in successfully scaling these interventions.

The report analyzes ten CDKN initiatives in India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan to identify effective design pathways for scaling climate compatible development. It distinguishes between research-led, hybrid, and action-led pathways, concluding that longer-term, action-oriented approaches are most successful in embedding new practices across local, provincial, and national scales. The authors propose several design principles, including early action, adaptive management, and strategic knowledge brokering, to navigate the complex multi-level governance required for climate resilience and low-carbon transitions.

The report examines the utility of extreme event attribution (EEA) through interviews with government officials and NGO representatives in Ethiopia, Kenya, and India. While generally viewed positively, the practical application of EEA varies by country and sector. In Ethiopia and Kenya, EEA is seen as a critical tool for securing international climate finance and improving drought early warning systems. In India, stakeholders expressed more skepticism, emphasizing the need for a 'critical mass' of studies to identify trends before the science can effectively influence national mitigation or adaptation agendas. Across all regions, significant barriers persist, including the high technical complexity of EEA outputs, a lack of predictive capacity for future events, and the need for down-scaled, non-technical communication to reach local communities and farmers.

The paper identifies five key levers—power and leadership, communication and engagement, capacity building, financing implementation, and demonstration effect—essential for successful climate action in cities. Drawing on seven CDKN-supported projects across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it argues that city governments face significant barriers, including short political cycles, fragmented governance, and limited financial resources. The framework serves as a checklist for donors and practitioners to create investable and implementable climate propositions, highlighting the importance of local champions, tailored business cases, and cross-city collaboration to scale successful interventions like India's Heat Action Plans.

The document outlines the role of city authorities in driving climate resilience and highlights CDKN's work in supporting developing countries through planning, financing, and knowledge management.

The document outlines six strategic tips for research funders to increase the real-world impact of their projects: defining specific impact goals, scoping the policy context, funding diverse consortia, including context experts in review panels, managing expectations regarding the timing and attribution of impact, and maintaining flexibility to learn from failure.