Books Chapters

India will undergo an immense urbanization in the coming decades, doubling its urban population by 2050. This transformation is unique as it will come at the time where the impacts of as well as the global momentum to respond to climate change heighten. India’s urban transformation will, therefore, have deep implications for not only local welfare and environmental conditions but climate mitigation and climate adaptation as well. As most of urban India is yet to be built, India has a unique opportunity to lock-in low-carbon, resilient and equitable urban forms for the long term. This chapter discusses the evolution of India’s urban climate actions from addressing climate risks to, more recently, mitigation while also exploring the governance characteristics of these actions. These actions, while nascent, provide an indication that the future trajectory of urban responses to climate change will be shaped by how local development and climate goals will be linked and prioritized.