As a developing economy, India has numerous developmental aspirations. How India meets these goals without worsening the climate crisis is at the heart of CSTEP's work. Addressing climate change and enabling a secure and sustainable future for Indian citizens require an overhaul of previous paradigms on development and resource utilisation. This is reflected in our work on developing low-carbon trajectories for development with an emphasis on nature-based solutions.
We are working with state governments across India to build capacity on risk and vulnerability assessments to inform their respective action plans on climate change. The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is crucial to achieving a secure and sustainable future. CSTEP's studies explore the possibility of a greater integration of renewables in the energy sector.
Mapping the resilience of renewable energy systems and assets in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to extreme weather events
Climate hazards such as droughts, flood, and cyclones are becoming more severe and frequent, posing a threat to the resilience of renewable energy. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India, in collaboration with the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), conducted a study across four states in India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan) with a high percentage of wind and solar energy infrastructure. The study employed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 5 (AR5) risk assessment framework.
Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in coastal urban areas
CSTEP is developing a comprehensive Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Feasibility Framework to enhance urban resilience against climate risks such as flooding, heatwaves, and storms. This project targets Chennai and Mangaluru, two cities at the opposite ends of the urbanisation spectrum. While Chennai, a densely urbanised metropolis, requires large-scale NbS interventions to address its severe climate risks, Mangaluru, a rapidly growing city, offers an opportunity to embed NbS early in its development to protect natural ecosystems.
Compendium: Nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in coastal urban areas
Coastal urban ecosystems are under siege from climate change, rapid urbanisation, and environmental degradation. These escalating pressures threaten the sustainability, resilience, and well-being of communities in these regions. Despite the transformative potential of nature-based solutions (NbS) to combat these issues, their integration into urban planning and policy frameworks remains lacking owing to a persistent knowledge gap and ambiguity surrounding NbS concepts.
Adapting to climate change
Not a day or week passes without an extreme event such as a heat wave, high-intensity rainfall leading to floods and landslides, lack of rain or unseasonal rains destroying fruits and vegetable crops, or hurricanes striking coastal areas. Every month in 2023 set a new record for being the hottest on record, and every month of 2024 has already surpassed those records, with the hottest day in history recently recorded. Karnataka has experienced extreme droughts and flood-causing rainfall events in recent months and years.