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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.

India's tracked green finance for mitigation reached INR 3,712 billion (USD 50 billion) per annum in FY 2021/22, a 20% increase from 2019/20. However, this represents only approximately 30% of the annual finance needed to meet the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Mitigation finance is primarily domestic (83%), with clean energy receiving the largest share (47%). Adaptation finance saw a nearly threefold increase to INR 1,092 billion (USD 15 billion) per year, dominated by government budgetary expenditure (98%) and focused on disaster risk management. The report highlights significant investment gaps, particularly in electric vehicles and on-farm agricultural adaptation, and recommends the development of a green finance taxonomy and enhanced private sector mobilization.

The document examines the critical intersection of WASH services, climate change, and global health security, illustrating how water scarcity and infrastructure failure exacerbate disease transmission and political instability. It highlights specific instances in West Africa, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the lack of basic water services in healthcare facilities increased vulnerability to Ebola and other health crises. The author advocates for the U.S. Government to leverage its global water and climate strategies to promote sector-inclusive policies and funding that prioritize prevention over response.

The study identifies fuel type, kitchen volume, cooking methods, and ventilation as the primary drivers of in-kitchen particulate matter exposure in low-income homes across 12 global cities. The highest concentrations were found in Dhaka, driven by small kitchen size and extensive frying, while the lowest were in Medellín. The research highlights that charcoal use significantly increases PM2.5 levels compared to natural gas or LPG, and that dual ventilation (mechanical and natural) is more effective at reducing pollutants than natural ventilation alone.

The report assesses the gender landscape in India's urban transport and e-mobility sectors to identify barriers for women, such as safety concerns and limited workforce participation. It proposes a Gender Action Plan for a financing platform, focusing on increasing female employment, improving safety infrastructure (like lighting and CCTV), and collecting sex-disaggregated data to mitigate gender-blindness in project design.

The report advocates for social-ecological transformations in Asian cities to meet global climate and development goals. It focuses on three key sectors: the built environment, transport, and public participation, arguing that environmental protection must be integrated with social justice to avoid further marginalizing vulnerable populations. The authors highlight that while Asian cities are major GHG emitters, their density offers opportunities for efficiency. The report emphasizes the need for nature-based solutions, active transport, and inclusive governance, while noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has both exposed urban inequalities and provided a catalyst for rethinking unsustainable consumption and urban design.

The briefing outlines a sustainable finance instrument designed to transition Indian auto-rickshaw drivers from conventional vehicles to electric ones. By providing 100% debt financing, eliminating collateral requirements, and offering lower interest rates (22%-24% per annum), the instrument aims to replace the current rental model and predatory informal loans. The proposed NBFC structure will pool equity, commercial debt, and concessional capital, utilizing a community-driven loan appraisal and collection system to mitigate default risks. A pilot project targeting 500 vehicles in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Chitradurga is planned to demonstrate the model's viability and environmental impact, with a long-term goal of capturing 5% of the Indian market to avoid 9 million tons of carbon emissions.

A scientific study assessed the record-breaking rainfall in Chennai on 1 December 2015, which saw up to 494 mm of rain and caused US$3 bn in economic losses. The analysis concluded that no measurable effect of human-caused emissions was detected for this specific one-day event, attributing this lack of detection to the masking effects of aerosol pollution over India.

The December 2015 extreme rainfall event in Chennai, India, which saw a record 494 mm of rain in 24 hours, was determined by climate attribution studies to be a 1 in 600–2,500 year event not caused by anthropogenic global warming. While the event's rarity would have overwhelmed most cities, its impact was exacerbated by poor land-use planning, including the encroachment of wetlands and riverbeds, and a clogged drainage system. The document recommends that Indian cities integrate wetland protection, river basin approaches, and vulnerability-focused disaster action plans into their urban development to build resilience against increasing extreme weather trends.

The document analyzes the devastating floods in Chennai on 1 December 2015, which killed over 470 people. While no measurable effect of human-caused emissions was detected for this specific event, the report highlights that unplanned urban growth, encroachment on water bodies, and poor infrastructure management significantly increased the city's vulnerability. Key impacts included the destruction of 4.92 lakh houses and the closure of Chennai Airport for five days. The flooding was exacerbated by the necessary release of water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir to prevent a breach, though the timing of this release was questioned by residents.

A scientific analysis of the December 2015 Chennai floods found no detectable effect of human-induced climate change on the extreme one-day rainfall event, likely due to the masking effect of aerosol pollution in the region.

The report identifies pharmaceutical manufacturing as a critical third driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), alongside human and animal misuse. Field research in India revealed high levels of drug-resistant E. coli near factories in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Delhi, specifically linking Aurobindo Pharma, Orchid Chemicals, and Asiatic Drugs & Pharmaceuticals to these hotspots. The document details a complex global supply chain where Chinese firms produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) under poor environmental conditions, which are then processed in India and exported to Western healthcare systems, including the UK's NHS and US distributors like McKesson. It concludes that current regulatory inspections focus on product safety rather than environmental impact, allowing pollution to accelerate a global health crisis.

The report details the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria near pharmaceutical production sites in India and China, arguing that poor waste management in these hubs fuels the global spread of 'superbugs'. Through water sampling and supply chain analysis, it identifies specific companies—such as Aurobindo Pharma, Orchid Chemicals, and Asiatic Drugs and Pharmaceuticals—as 'AMR hotspots' and traces their products to major healthcare providers and pharmaceutical giants in the West.

The report identifies a critical link between irresponsible pharmaceutical manufacturing practices in China and India and the proliferation of 'superbugs'. Field sampling in India revealed high levels of antibiotic resistance in water sources near factories owned by Aurobindo Pharma, Orchid Chemicals, and Asiatic Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. The analysis shows that these polluting sites are integrated into global supply chains, providing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished drugs to major distributors and healthcare providers in the West, including McKesson in the US and various public hospitals in France. The document argues that antimicrobial resistance is driven by three factors—medical, agricultural, and industrial—and calls for the integration of environmental criteria into Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and greater supply chain transparency.

The report identifies pharmaceutical manufacturing waste in India and China as a significant driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Through water sampling in India and supply chain analysis, it links specific polluting factories to major global distributors and public health systems, including the UK's NHS. It argues that current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) frameworks are insufficient because they lack environmental criteria, allowing 'superbugs' to proliferate and spread globally via trade and travel.

The research reviews the SDMPs of Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, and Uttarakhand, finding that while they provide a foundation for coordination, they overemphasize response and relief over prevention and risk reduction. The report recommends clarifying institutional responsibilities, innovating financing models, mainstreaming risk reduction across state departments, and better incorporating socioeconomic vulnerabilities and climate change risks into assessments.

The report analyzes India's high climate sensitivity, driven by its geography and agrarian economy. It details the transition from stand-alone sectoral actions to integrated development planning, centered on the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). While progress is noted in water and agriculture, the document identifies critical gaps in adaptation for the northeast, Indian Ocean islands, the Sundarbans, and regarding gender and health. It also highlights a significant imbalance in international climate finance, which heavily favors mitigation over adaptation.

CIEL President Carroll Muffett critiques Secretary Kerry's COP 21 speech, stating that the US pledge to double grant-based adaptation assistance to over $800 million by 2020 is insufficient compared to the $100 billion annual pledge by developed countries. Muffett argues that US domestic politics have hindered ambitious international climate engagement and rejects the notion that the Paris outcomes are merely a "preamble," emphasizing the urgent human rights tragedies already caused by climate change.

The study investigated the December 1, 2015, rainfall event in Chennai, where some stations recorded up to 494 mm of rain in 24 hours, causing an estimated US $3 billion in economic costs. Using observational data and regional climate models, researchers found no detectable effect of human-induced climate change on the probability of this extreme one-day rainfall. The analysis suggests that the cooling effect of aerosols in the western Bay of Bengal likely counteracted greenhouse gas warming, while non-anthropogenic factors, such as El Niño and sea surface temperature anomalies, played a more significant role.