iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 1h

1/4 “Scrapping only counts if the vehicle is destroyed rather than moved across a state boundary…Otherwise, the problem is simply relocated.” Arunesh Karkun spoke to the Financial Express about the environmental issues surrounding end-of-life vehicles scrappage in India.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 11/08/2026

Does India's electric vehicle ecosystem demonstrate a stuttering transition or a strategic reorientation? Our new issue brief examines India’s EV policy landscape, current state of domestic manufacturing & the strengths & limitations of its RD&D ecosystem. www.sustainablefutures.org/publication/...

sustainablefutures.org

India's Electric Vehicle Ecosystem: Stuttering Transition or Strategic Reorientation?

An analysis of the evolution of India’s EV policy landscape, the current state of domestic manufacturing, and the strengths and limitations of its RD&D ecosystem.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 14/07/2026

By centring the debate on AC, the far-right response to the heatwaves in Europe has “completely neglected the science of how you cool human beings”. - Aditya Valiathan Pillai in @carbonbrief.org. www.carbonbrief.org/eight-facts-...

carbonbrief.org

Eight facts about air conditioning amid an overheated global debate - Carbon Brief

Carbon Brief explains why AC rates in parts of Europe are relatively low and clarifies some of the misleading claims about the technology.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 07/07/2026

"Whatever electricity distribution networks exist today have been in place for a long time, and they have not been significantly upgraded. Any improvements happening are incremental and very slow. Because of this, breakdowns continue to occur." Sarada Prasanna Das explains. bit.ly/4gk7dc5

thequint.com

AC Boom in the Coming Years Will Test India's Power Grid: What Needs to Change?

India’s record peak power demand, late-night outages and viral protests expose fragile distribution systems amid climate change and rising power demand.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 23/06/2026

1/2 #Bonn ended with a familiar mix: negotiated compromises, lingering disagreements, and incremental progress. But beneath the small gains lie deeper rifts (over finance, trade, and implementation) that will define what's possible at #COP31 later this year.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 10/06/2026

1/4 As Indian cities confront rising temperatures, the challenge is no longer just responding to extreme heat. We need to build institutions that can tackle heat as a long-term risk. Our interviews with policymakers and implementors revealed that heat often struggles to compete with more

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 10/06/2026

1/2 #JobAlert: We're #hiring a Research Associate/Senior Research Associate, Environmental Governance and Policy, in New Delhi. Our work aims to make lasting and sustainable improvements to India’s air quality by strengthening the foundations of our approach to air quality management.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 05/06/2026

NEW OP-ED: Jui Gusani and @sonyrk.bsky.social write in @thehindu.com on how India’s coastline relies on seawalls and embankments, while ecosystem-based adaptation through mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs continues to reduce climate risks. Read: www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-e...

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 04/06/2026

1/3 #JobAlert: We're #hiring a Communications Associate/Senior Communications Associate at Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), in New Delhi. The role involves implementing SFC’s communications strategies across our thematic areas and in institutional storytelling.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 04/06/2026

1/6 NEW PUBLICATION: As part of The Climate Futures Project (climatefuturesproject.in), Nikita Shukla, @aman-srivastava.bsky.social & Easwaran J Narassimhan unpack the @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org's 2022 climate policy modelling study, ‘Getting India to Net-Zero’, which provides guidance and advice

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 03/06/2026

1/3 We are screening our audio-visual exhibit, Making the ‘Invisible’ Visible: Indoor Heat, Unpaid Domestic Work, and Women’s Resilience, at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Bengaluru, on 6 June from 4 PM onwards. Using thermal imagery and audio narratives, the exhibit documents

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 03/06/2026

1/5 NEW PUBLICATION: Climate change is no longer only an environmental challenge — it is rapidly becoming a public health crisis. As extreme heat intensifies across India, the country’s health systems are being pushed to their limits. In the essay ‘What is the Health Agenda for Climate Adaptation?’,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 02/06/2026

1/5 'Dehat in Flux: Facing Climate Anxiety in Peri-Urban Delhi’ is the second in the five-city masterclass series, on 8 June 2026, for Ordinary Ecologies of Repair: Youth, Urbanity, and Environmental Change in South Asia, a seminar series funded by the @urbanstudiesfoundation.org, spanning

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 27/05/2026

1/4 NEW PUBLICATION: As heatwaves intensify, heat action plans are becoming central to public policy. But a plan on paper is not the same as protection on the ground. Aditya Valiathan Pillai argues in the essay, 'Heat Action Plans: A Cautionary Note and a Way Forward,' that without

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 27/05/2026

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 26/05/2026

1/2 NEW OP-ED: Odisha, as the pioneer of power sector reforms, now has an opportunity to create a model where "free power" and "market pricing" coexist by combining transparency, competitiveness, and compassion. Let consumers know the true cost of electricity, while governments

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 26/05/2026

1/2 If we want sustained action on heat, we need to make it visible in the right ways. That means building a visual language that reflects not just temperature, but vulnerability and resilience.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 21/05/2026

1/4 NEW PUBLICATION: “How hot is too hot?” cannot be answered without first asking: “too hot for what?” and also, “too hot for whom?” In their essay on the challenges of identifying physiological upper limits to heat, Robert Douglas Meade, Aditya Valiathan Pillai, and Satchit Balsari argue

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 21/05/2026

1/3 @bhargavkrishna.bsky.social quoted in Drilled Media: "The idea that Indians are not as susceptible as others to air pollution has been systematically disproven with decades of research conducted in India.”

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 19/05/2026

1/4 @tamannadalal99.bsky.social spoke to @thewire.in: "Currently, most of the actions being taken to tackle the issue of heat across the country are short-term ones (such as installing cooling centres, or conducting awareness sessions about heatwaves, or distributing ORS during heatwaves).

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 19/05/2026

1/3 NEW PUBLICATION: Sarada Prasanna Das and @ashwiniswain.bsky.social argue in the chapter, ‘Re-Powering Rural Dignity: Rural Transformation Through Energy Transition’, published in the book 'Policy and Politics of Development in India', that the ongoing transition in

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 18/05/2026

1/2 #JobAlert: We're #hiring a Communications Associate/Senior Communications Associate at Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), in New Delhi. The role involves implementing SFC’s communications strategies across our thematic areas and in institutional storytelling.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 18/05/2026

1/2 #OurTeamSpeaks: Aditi Ghosh is a Research Associate in the Adaptation and Resilience vertical at Sustainable Futures Collaborative. Her work focuses on heat impact and resilience, climate adaptation, environmental governance, public policy, and sustainability transitions.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 15/05/2026

1/4 At the India Heat Summit by Climate Trends, we showcased our audio-visual storytelling project, Making the 'Invisible' Visible: Indoor Heat, Unpaid Domestic Work, and Women’s Resilience, which explores what it means to run a household in a warming world.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 04/05/2026

1/4 Indian cities are getting hotter, but our response isn’t keeping up. Heat Action Plans are expanding across cities, yet most heat actions focus on short-term fixes instead of long-term resilience.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 30/04/2026

1/3 “We must build policy around exposure to air pollution. Ultimately, what we breathe is what impacts us. Prioritising sources based on their health impact, reducing pollution at source, actions framed by accurate estimations and periodic updates, easily accessible information to build

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 29/04/2026

1/3 @tamannadalal99.bsky.social spoke in the panel, "Invisible Exposure: Rethinking Heat Metrics and Protection Pathways for Informal and Gig Workers", at the Global Heat and Cooling Forum organised by @nrdc.org on 21-22 April 2026.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 29/04/2026

1/3 Dr Purvi Patel spoke in the panel, "Invisible Exposure: Rethinking Heat Metrics and Protection Pathways for Informal and Gig Workers" at the Global Heat and Cooling Forum organised by @nrdc.org on 21-22 April 2026. She highlighted the need for greater scientific rigour in heat–health research,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 28/04/2026

1/4 Aditya Valiathan Pillai spoke in the panel, "Governance Pathways for Strengthening Heat Resilience in the Global South" at the Global Heat and Cooling Forum organised by @nrdc.org on 21-22 April 2026. He said - "There is a need to be electorally salient to show that they are doing things

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 22/04/2026

1/2 Aditya Valiathan Pillai says it is “important” to address heat as a cross-sectoral issue, including its economic implications, rather than viewing it solely as a health issue. “It is important that we take the heat debate out of just a conversation on health and broaden it to include

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 21/04/2026

1/5 The South Asia Hub of the Global Heat Health Information Network (@heathealth.info) was formally launched at the @nrdc.org Global Heat and Cooling Forum in New Delhi on 21 April 2026. It aims to connect local actors to inform policy, implement practical interventions, and reduce heat risks,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 20/04/2026

1/3 NEW BLOG: India has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2031–35, targeting a 47% reduction in emissions intensity below 2005 levels. But evidence suggests this threshold is less ambitious than is needed, than is possible, than is ideal, and than in the past.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 17/04/2026

1/3 Last week, India withdrew its bid to host COP33 in 2028, a move that, as @aman-srivastava.bsky.socialwrites in The Quint, reflects a shift in its climate priorities. Hosting a COP is costly, but it also offers a strategic platform to shape global negotiations... www.thequint.com/climate-chan...

thequint.com

Bidding Goodbye to COP33: Has India Missed a Trick?

India’s quiet withdrawal from its COP33 hosting bid raises questions over its climate leadership, shifting priorities, and what this means for the Global South at a critical moment for global climate ...

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 13/04/2026

1/2 Mukta Naik moderated the panel 'Policy Takeaways' at the event, 'Climate Justice for Home-Based Workers: Voices, Evidence, and Action' organised by WIEGO and SEWA Delhi on 23 March 2026. She spoke on the importance of workers' voices, especially home-based workers who are often invisible,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 13/04/2026

1/2 @bhargavkrishna.bsky.social spoke to @dialogueearth.bsky.social - "The materials a home is built with determine a resident’s ability to cope with heat. You might work in a covered space, but if it’s poorly insulated, and you return to a house made of heat-trapping materials with no ventilation,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 09/04/2026

1/5 Heatwaves are an escalating public health risk in India, already causing heat-related illness, deaths, and reduced work capacity, especially among vulnerable populations. As their frequency and intensity rise, so will the burden on health systems.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 08/04/2026

1/2 Mukta Naik spoke at the launch of the book, 'City Limits: The Crisis of Urbanisation', edited by Tikender Panwar on 17 March 2026 - "City Limits reminds us that the work of challenging dominant paradigms of city-making is important and must go on,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 07/04/2026

1/4 Dr Purvi Patel spoke about how a shift toward health-centric governance is critical to deal with climate impacts, including those linking nutrition and agriculture, during the roundtable on ‘Science to Policy Translation for Future-Ready Food Systems’,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 06/04/2026

1/4 @ishita22.bsky.social and Arunesh Karkun will be speaking at an upcoming webinar organised by ASAR on why pollutants like PM2.5 need to be at the heart of air quality planning and how this shift can improve policy priorities and action on the ground on 17 April 2026, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 06/04/2026

1/2 @ndubash.bsky.social told @carbonbrief.org that India’s new pledge falls into an “ongoing pattern” of NDCs that “under-commit and will over-comply”, a description he says also fits China’s recent pledge. He elaborated: “This pattern suggests statements of ambition are no longer the driver of -

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 02/04/2026

1/4 In our latest issue brief, @sonyrk.bsky.social and @escandita.bsky.social highlight that strengthening coastal resilience in India requires moving beyond single-hazard planning and adopting an integrated understanding of interacting coastal hazards.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 31/03/2026

1/5 NEW ISSUE BRIEF: India’s coastal regions are experiencing accelerating trends in climate-related hazards such as relative sea level rise along both the east and west coasts, increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 30/03/2026

1/2 "The emissions intensity target represents a very modest increase compared with its potential. While India may well reach beyond this level, the target will further erode trust in multilateral negotiations. The pledge to increase renewables capacity is more significant and welcome,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 19/03/2026

1/2 “HAP is a fairly new phenomenon and is still in the process of getting rooted in urban local bodies and panchayats. It is in an adolescence phase but needs to mature fast given the scale of the threat" - Aditya Valiathan Pillai was quoted in the Business Standard.

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 19/03/2026

1/6 NEW PUBLICATION: Despite the need to limit climate change and accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy, there is disagreement about how to share the burden of reducing CO2 emissions. @ndubash.bsky.social and @bhargavkrishna.bsky.social contributed to assessing different approaches to

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 17/03/2026

1/3 @aman-srivastava.bsky.social highlighted the impact of climate regulations on export competitiveness for developing nations, in the panel, "𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞–𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐬?, examining whether new environmental standards, such as carbon border adjustments,

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 16/03/2026

1/3 "We (at SFC) went to nine states and tried understanding what local implementers are doing at the local level (Report link - bit.ly/3FDx3HD). We were quite happy to find that there are lots of emergency measures that are put in place during the summer. What was missing was long-term resilience.

bit.ly

Is India Ready for a Warming World? How Heat Resilience Measures Are Being Implemented for 11% of India’s Urban Population in Some of Its Most At-Risk Cities

This report assesses India’s readiness for the extreme heat of a +1.5 degree world. It examines the implementation of extreme heat policies in 9 major Indian cities — Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwal...

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 06/03/2026

1/3 "Demands for climate-resilient infrastructure are not separate from demands for improved public space and safe mobility in cities. By creating safe vending zones along city streets and in under-utilised spaces, we also have the opportunity to create shaded resting spaces and safe, accessible

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 05/03/2026

1/4 As part of the Delhi Climate Innovation Week, Mukta Naik spoke in two panel discussions on 21 February 2026. She discussed the need to look at urban villages and other low-income settlements as important sites for climate action as their high-density urban form and low quality of infrastructure

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Sustainable Futures Collaborative @sustainablefutures.org · 03/03/2026

1/2 NEW BLOG: As India moves toward 500 GW of non-fossil capacity, energy storage will be central to grid stability. Kashmeera Patel, @aman-srivastava.bsky.social, and @easwaran.bsky.social deep dive into India’s publicly funded energy storage RD&D portfolio, which reveals a strong bet on batteries.

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