Addressing Climate Change: Restructuring Policy and Regulation in Indian Cities

Abstract

India has pledged its goal of becoming a net-zero carbon economy by 2070 to be achieved through several climate change mitigation initiatives across its federal structure. In addition, India is facing the impact of climate change through increased incidences of heat waves, extreme rainfall events, droughts, and other unprecedented climate disasters. Urban centres in particular are at heightened climate risk owing to high population density, critical infrastructure, and concentrated economic activities. At present, in the absence of an umbrella legislation specific to climate change, the Government of India has adopted a multipronged approach for climate resilience focusing on both mitigation and adaptation initiatives through existing legislation in various sectors like agriculture, energy and others. However, given the on-ground complexities, the implementation of these has been an uphill task. India’s federal structure is also such that substantial fiscal and bureaucratic power is vested in the Central government, posing its own set of challenges in taking forward the initiatives at the state, district, and urban levels. For India to meet its ambitious climate goals and for achieving climate resilience, it is imperative to have a comprehensive, robust institutional and legal framework that recognises the uniqueness of each state, and at the same time ensures a unified governance for climate resilience.