India Envisions Adaptation As Climate Change Threatens Food, Health, and Livelihoods

Bengaluru: Climate refers to the long-term patterns of temperature, rainfall, wind, and seasons that shape life on Earth—from the heat of deserts to the humidity of rainforests. Unlike weather, which changes daily, climate reflects decades of steady patterns that sustain ecosystems, biodiversity, and livelihoods across sectors like agriculture, energy, and tourism. However, these patterns are shifting. Rising temperatures, erratic rains, and extreme weather are disrupting food systems, damaging infrastructure, and straining economies—with the most vulnerable hit hardest.

Nations are now advancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to cut emissions, strengthen adaptation, and integrate climate risks into development plans. Through global frameworks such as the Paris Agreement (2015), mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund, and scientific guidance from the IPCC, the world is working collectively toward a resilient and climate-smart future.

In a conversation with ETV Bharat, climate expert Indu K Murthy, Principal Research Scientist and Sector Head for Climate, Environment and Sustainability at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), outlined India’s vision for an inclusive and climate-resilient future, where adaptation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with mitigation. She explained why COP30 in Brazil marks a crucial turning point—moving from words to action.

How climate change affects human lives

Murthy shared that rising global temperatures—about 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels in 2024, the warmest year on record (WMO)—along with more intense heatwaves, melting glaciers, rising seas, and extreme weather events like floods, droughts, wildfires, and cyclones, are visible signs of climate change across the globe.

Climate change impacts agriculture, food security, and poses threats to human health as well. Rising temperatures, dry spells, floods, and water scarcity cut crop yields and reduce nutritional quality. Warmer conditions fuel pests and diseases in crops and livestock, while extreme weather disrupts food systems and livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk. The result is growing food insecurity, malnutrition, health risks from heat, and an increase in vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, and rising economic losses.

When asked how countries can build resilience while ensuring a just and equitable transition, Murthy said that strengthening resilience and keeping the transition fair is a major challenge for developing countries. It requires integrating climate risks into all levels of planning, expanding early warning systems, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and ecosystems like wetlands, mangroves, and watershed restoration. Scaling up climate finance and social protection schemes such as MGNREGS, promoting green jobs through training, and strengthening local capacity and accountability systems are key to protecting livelihoods and making the low-carbon transition inclusive and sustainable.

The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30)

As the world heads toward COP30 (Nov 10–21, 2025), the UN’s climate change conference in Belém, Brazil, the global climate discourse is turning a decisive corner. Murthy said that climate adaptation is a key focus at COP30. Known as ‘implementation COP’, it aims to move from commitments to concrete action—scaling up finance, unlocking technology, prioritising adaptation, and ensuring just transitions.

It calls for building resilience across sectors—especially climate-sensitive ones like water, agriculture, health, and infrastructure—by blending indigenous knowledge with modern science and investing in early warning systems and ecosystem-based adaptation. At COP30, discussions on securing finance, technology, and capacity-building support, operationalising the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and ensuring equitable and inclusive measures will be key to helping vulnerable nations tackle current impacts and prepare for future climate risks.

India is a bridge between the Global North and South, says Murthy

Responding to how India is positioning itself in discussions around adaptation, climate finance, and sustainable development, Murthy said that India remains a strong voice for equity, resilience, and sustainable development in global climate talks. It continues to stress common but differentiated responsibilities, urging developed nations to lead on emission cuts and ensure predictable finance for developing countries’ low-carbon transitions.

India has positioned itself as a bridge between the Global North and South, championing climate justice by urging developed nations to provide assured financial assistance for adaptation and share clean technologies. It highlights that the pace of its low-carbon transition depends on adequate financial flows. Domestically, India advances green budgeting, sovereign green bonds, and public–private partnerships for climate action. Guided by its Panchamrit targets and initiatives like LiFE and the International Solar Alliance, India promotes climate action through sustainable lifestyles and global collaboration.

COP 30 expectations

Discussing the key expectations from COP in terms of turning global climate commitments into action, Murthy said that from India’s perspective, the urgency is two-fold:

1. Adaptation must stand on par with mitigation, backed by measurable targets, predictable finance, and clear progress metrics.
2. Implementation pathways must reflect national contexts, allowing countries like India to pursue low-carbon growth without undermining development goals.

India also hopes COP30 will deliver clarity on the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance, she added. When asked how a clear framework for the GGA can strengthen global resilience? Murthy said that a clear GGA framework can greatly strengthen global resilience by creating a unified, measurable, and equitable foundation for climate action. It aligns international efforts, clarifies roles and finance commitments, and drives accountability. A robust GGA will:

1. Foster cooperation through shared goals and knowledge exchange
2. Guide planning with clear targets and standardised risk assessments
3. Promote equity
4. Mobilize finance
5. Track progress through measurable indicators.

A framework for GGA would shrink adaptation funding gaps and integrating adaptation into development planning, it will help nations systematically assess risks, implement national plans, and build lasting resilience.

Emphasising the Global South's role in shaping the global climate agenda at the ‘implementation COP’, Murthy said that at COP30, the Global South can drive the agenda toward equity, climate justice, and real action. By working through alliances like G77 + China and the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC), these nations can push for stronger commitments on adaptation finance, loss and damage, and technology transfer—aligning climate goals with their development needs and priorities.

Adaptation must go beyond funding—it’s about resilience, justice, and smarter development. Sharing knowledge, building capacity, and collaborating regionally are key to tackling risks that cross borders. The Global South can also lead by example, showcasing local low-carbon solutions and shifting the narrative from climate victims to catalysts of fair global action.

According to Murthy, “Climate change demands urgent, coordinated action across all levels. Mitigation and adaptation must advance together, guided by science, sound policy, and community participation. Our response should shift from reactionary to precautionary—proactive, forward-looking, and systemic. Lasting progress will depend on strong collaboration, evidence-based action, and empowering grassroots efforts to protect our planet and its ecosystems.”