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The HimGra® pilot project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district transforms degraded, rocky Himalayan slopes into productive land by cultivating a climate-resilient grass for sustainable textiles. Managed by women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and supported by the Dev UK (Uttarakhand) Foundation, the initiative reduces soil erosion and provides diversified income for marginalized communities. The project integrates grassroots innovation with global luxury fashion markets and is undergoing independent impact assessments to validate its carbon and soil regeneration outcomes.

The report analyzes India's energy subsidy landscape in FY 2025 and FY 2026, highlighting a significant imbalance where fossil fuel subsidies are three times higher than clean energy subsidies. It details the fiscal strain on state governments due to rising electricity subsidies and the vulnerability of the national budget to global LPG and crude oil price volatility caused by conflict in the Gulf. The analysis argues for a strategic shift from recurring fossil fuel subsidies to one-time capital investments in renewable energy, electric cooking, and electric mobility to enhance energy security and fiscal sustainability.

The document argues that while India has expanded clean cooking via LPG subsidies, this pathway creates fiscal burdens and import dependencies. It advocates for a shift toward biogas in rural regions and e-cooking in urban areas, noting that both are more cost-effective over their lifecycles than LPG. The brief provides evidence from fieldwork in several Indian states and cities, highlighting that e-cooking could save the government over INR 2 trillion in subsidies by 2050. Key barriers identified include high upfront costs and inadequate maintenance services, which the authors suggest addressing through redirected subsidies and decentralized service centers.

The report argues that India's reliance on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG) creates energy security risks and fiscal burdens due to high import dependence and subsidies. It advocates for a shift toward decentralized biogas for rural households and e-cooking for urban areas to align with net-zero goals. Fieldwork in Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand shows that biogas is highly satisfactory and reduces firewood use by 70%, though high upfront costs remain a barrier. In urban centers like Delhi and Bengaluru, e-cooking is found to be cheaper in operational expenditure than LPG or PNG, with the potential to save the government up to INR 2.4 trillion in subsidies by 2050 under a high-growth scenario.

The SET 2026 report assesses 21 Indian states on their electricity transition, finding that progress is fragmented and that leadership in one area, such as decarbonisation, does not automatically ensure system-wide readiness. While states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh lead in decarbonisation, and Delhi and Haryana excel in power ecosystem readiness, most states face structural gaps in areas like smart metering, energy storage, and DISCOM financial health. The report emphasizes the need for coordinated state-level interventions to align capacity additions with grid readiness and market-enabling policies.

Erlend Eggen, head of Klimakultur, criticizes the Arctic Race of Norway for its reliance on fossil fuel sponsorship, specifically Equinor, and the participation of the Israel Premier Tech team. He argues that the event's sustainability claims, such as using an electric car fleet, are undermined by the fact that Equinor's energy production remains over 99.6% fossil-based. The text highlights the role of cycling as a venue for corporate greenwashing and calls for the event to sign 'The Fossil Free Declaration' to phase out high-carbon partnerships.

The report analyzes green hydrogen production in India, finding that state-level transmission waivers and capital subsidies are critical for cost competitiveness. It compares on-site, ISTS-connected, and STU-connected project models, highlighting that while on-site projects avoid transmission costs, they face land and demand constraints. The study identifies Odisha as a leader in cost competitiveness due to aggressive incentive packages and emphasizes that off-site projects require at least a 50% cost reduction to compete with grey hydrogen.

The 2024 Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report identifies Gujarat and Karnataka as consistent top performers in decarbonising their power sectors and preparing their market ecosystems. While some states like Delhi and Odisha show high readiness or strong market enablers, they struggle with actual decarbonisation. Conversely, states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh exhibit structural challenges and slow progress across all dimensions. The report recommends strengthening state-level regulatory frameworks and developing specific subnational transition plans to address these uneven disparities.

As of March 2022, India had installed 110 GW of renewable energy (RE) capacity, representing 63% of its 175 GW target for December 2022. Progress is highly uneven across states; while Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Andaman and Nicobar have surpassed their targets, 27 states and union territories have achieved less than 50% of their goals. Five states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu—account for two-thirds of the national shortfall. Recent growth has been heavily concentrated in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which together provided 73% of new RE capacity between October 2021 and March 2022. To meet the 2030 target of 450 GW RE, India requires an average annual addition of 42.5 GW.

The report argues that India's post-pandemic recovery should prioritize 'building back better' by investing in natural capital and nature-based solutions (NbS). It examines the role of public and private finance, the need for a green finance taxonomy, and the importance of integrating biodiversity values into agriculture, infrastructure, and sub-national climate action plans. Key focus areas include land restoration targets, the conservation of wetlands within the Central Asian Flyway, and the mitigation of illegal wildlife trade.

The report argues that climate change acts as a risk multiplier in the India-China rivalry, increasing the likelihood of conflict through material threats and perceptual risks. Key vulnerabilities include increased flooding in the Brahmaputra River Basin, which may be misconstrued as Chinese water manipulation, and warming in the western border region that could facilitate more frequent military patrols and clashes. The study also highlights the security implications of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) dam projects on the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers. To mitigate these risks, the authors recommend establishing granular data-sharing agreements, joint early warning systems for natural disasters, and long-term river basin treaties involving all riparian states.

The report finds that climate change will act as a risk multiplier in the India-China rivalry, increasing the likelihood of conflict through material environmental changes and perceptual misinterpretations. Key risks include increased flooding in the Brahmaputra River Basin, which may be misconstrued as Chinese water manipulation, and warming in the western border region that could facilitate more frequent military patrols and clashes. The study also highlights the role of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) dam projects on the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers as sources of regional instability and distrust. To mitigate these risks, the authors recommend institutionalizing data-sharing, establishing joint early warning systems for natural disasters, and pursuing long-term river basin treaties.

The briefing highlights the vulnerability of India's power sector to climate-induced extreme weather, citing the Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower plant disaster. It argues that current infrastructure is insufficient for future needs and calls for a shift toward flexibility, decentralized renewables, and higher design standards for grid hardening to protect critical services and social resilience.

The Land Accelerator South Asia program, launched by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 2020, supports entrepreneurs developing business models to restore degraded lands. The 2021 cohort grew to 58 entrepreneurs, with women's participation increasing from 13% in 2020 to 31% in 2021. The program provides mentorship, grants, and connections to impact investors to scale solutions in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, and agritech. This booklet highlights eleven specific startups, detailing their technological solutions—such as AI-based weeding robots, drone-based precision agriculture, and bio-economic waste conversion—and their reported socio-economic and environmental impacts, including increased farmer incomes and carbon sequestration.

The report evaluates Nepal's future energy options, finding that while hydropower remains central, integrating wind, solar, and battery storage can enhance system flexibility and support river conservation. Using the SWITCH model, the study demonstrates that strategic conservation of rivers, such as the Karnali basin, can be achieved with minimal impact on overall system costs. It also highlights the risks of relying solely on hydropower, noting that such a strategy increases costs by 10.7% and requires significant overbuilding of capacity to meet dry-season demand. The analysis further indicates that imports from India are critical for affordability, as eliminating them would increase system costs by approximately 45%. Additionally, the report explores regional equity and export strategies, suggesting that a diversified energy mix can support social goals and potential profitability if export prices exceed 30 $/MWh.

The Uttarakhand High Court declared the Ganges and Yamuna rivers as living entities with legal rights, appointing state officials as guardians. However, the Supreme Court of India stayed this order, citing impracticality and jurisdictional overreach.

The paper addresses the financial risk in India's renewable energy sector caused by the poor financial health of state-owned electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs), which can add up to 1.07% to the cost of debt. It defines a Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) as a funded capital reserve providing interest-free working capital during default events. The authors propose a five-step stochastic methodology to determine the optimal PSM size required to achieve specific credit rating enhancements for projects. Applying this to eight sample DISCOMs, the study finds that most require approximately 12 months of payment support to reach a BB rating, typically representing 10%-20% of a project's total capital expenditure. The paper concludes that the maximum credit enhancement achievable through a PSM is a BB rating, as other non-counterparty risks limit further improvement to BBB or higher.

The report analyzes the financial instability of electricity distribution companies (discoms) in Uttar Pradesh, where a significant revenue gap of INR 21,486 crores existed in FY16. It examines consumer attitudes toward tariff hikes, revealing that while most expect increases, there is strong opposition to them unless linked to service improvements. The report also evaluates the UDAY scheme, finding that while it has reduced interest costs through bond issuance, progress on key operational milestones like smart metering and feeder segregation has been limited. Recommendations include improving rural metering, implementing targeted compensation for vulnerable users, and enhancing communication strategies to build public support for cost-reflective tariffs.

The report details CDKN's work in India to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation into development planning. Key initiatives include the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for energy and building sectors, the development of Heat Action Plans in cities like Ahmedabad, and the promotion of rural electrification through micro-franchising. The document emphasizes the importance of co-benefits, private sector engagement, and gender sensitivity in achieving resilient growth.

The report uses data from the Climate Asia study, which surveyed 33,500 people across seven Asian countries, to examine how residents of India perceive and respond to climate change. In India, research was conducted between May and August 2012 across five states—Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand—and the city of Mumbai, representing diverse geographies and socio-economic groups. The study utilized surveys, 24 focus group discussions, 8 community assessments, and 30 expert interviews. The report identifies three priority audiences for communication: farmers, the urban poor, and housewives.