Simplifying Climate Dialogue: From Complexity to Clarity

The tenth webinar in the Land-Based Mitigation (LBM) Dialogue Series, held on November 10, 2025, focused on the theme “Simplifying Climate Dialogue: From Complexity to Clarity”. The session brought together communications professionals and storytellers who are redefining how climate conversations can bridge the gap between scientific complexity and public understanding.

Panellists

1. 1. Avantika Shrivastava, Senior Communications Manager, Climate Group
   2. Jananni Rajan Iyer, Senior Manager – Strategic Communications, On Purpose
   3. Ankita Gambhir, Manager – Communications, Hans Foundation
   4. Nayanika Dutta, Lead – Forums and Digital Communications, Balipara Foundation

• Paridhi Jain, Communications Associate, UNHCR

1. Kamakshi Luthra, Asst. Manager – Communications, Iora Ecological Solutions (Moderator)

The dialogue explored how communication itself is a form of climate action, emphasizing the need to transform heavy, jargon-laden climate science into stories that resonate with people’s emotions, culture, and lived realities. The discussion highlighted that simplifying does not mean diluting complexity—it means making it relatable, inclusive, and actionable.

Speakers reflected on key aspects such as building trust with communities, avoiding romanticization of women’s roles, integrating scientific facts with cultural contexts, and using social media responsibly. The conversation also reimagined the language of climate change—urging a shift from “crisis” to “responsibility,” and from fear to hope.

Key Points from Discussion

Bridging Climate Policy and Public Perception

Effective climate communication must translate complex policies into relatable narratives that connect with everyday life. By grounding abstract science in local realities, communicators can make climate change more personal and actionable, inspiring communities to understand their role and responsibility in addressing global challenges.

Authenticity and Community-Centered Storytelling

Authentic storytelling arises from real conversations with communities rather than organizational agendas. Using familiar language, local expressions, and emotional honesty makes narratives relatable and credible. Such communication ensures that communities see themselves represented truthfully, strengthening trust and engagement in climate action.

Gender Balance and Inclusive Narratives

Overemphasizing women as “heroes” in climate stories can reinforce stereotypes or overlook shared responsibilities. Balanced narratives that highlight both women’s challenges and men’s contributions promote inclusivity and fairness, ensuring that communication reflects the collective nature of community resilience and adaptation.

Trust-Building and Co-Creation with Communities

Trust with indigenous and rural communities is built through time, consistency, and respect. Co-creating stories with community members—allowing them to share experiences in their own language and context—enhances authenticity, fosters ownership, and ensures that communication amplifies local voices rather than speaking for them.

From Fear to Hope: Reframing Climate Messaging

Fear-based communication can alienate audiences, while stories of resilience and innovation inspire action. Shifting narratives from crisis to hope fosters agency, encouraging individuals and communities to participate meaningfully in climate solutions and view change as an achievable, shared responsibility.

Visual Storytelling for Greater Engagement

Visual storytelling—through photos, videos, and infographics—transcends linguistic barriers and makes climate messages more accessible. When used thoughtfully, visuals evoke emotion, simplify science, and increase understanding, helping audiences connect more deeply with environmental realities and the urgency of collective action.

Integrating Science with Human Experience

Credible climate communication balances scientific facts with human emotion. Data builds trust, while storytelling evokes empathy. Integrating both allows audiences to understand the scale of climate challenges while relating them to everyday life, reinforcing that climate change is both a scientific and human issue.

Reframing Climate Language for Constructive Dialogue

Overused phrases like “climate crisis” can create fatigue and fear. Replacing them with constructive terms – such as “climate responsibility,” “equitable energy transition,” or “restoring our relationship with nature”- shifts focus toward solutions, shared accountability, and optimism in climate dialogue.

Responsible and Reflective Use of Social Media

Social media can amplify climate awareness but should complement—not replace—strategic communication. Ethical, consistent, and evidence-based storytelling ensures depth beyond virality. Combining online visibility with on-ground engagement sustains understanding and translates digital awareness into real-world action.

Recognizing Communication as a Strategic Profession

Communication must be valued as a strategic and skilled discipline central to climate action. Investing in trained professionals, dedicated funding, and clear role definitions strengthens credibility and ensures communication drives awareness, behavior change, and informed decision-making.

Simplifying Jargon for Broader Accessibility

Simplifying climate language enhances inclusivity without compromising accuracy. Using plain, relatable language helps both policymakers and communities understand scientific insights, promoting informed discussions and collective ownership of climate action across different levels of society.

Recommendations

• Recognize communication as climate action, positioning it as an integral part of climate strategies and programs.
• Encourage co-created storytelling that integrates community knowledge, scientific facts, and cultural perspectives.
• Shift from fear-based narratives toward hopeful, solution-oriented communication that empowers people to act.
• Promote gender-balanced and inclusive storytelling that reflects diverse roles and realities.
• Build trust and long-term engagement with communities through co-creation, respect, and representation.
• Invest in capacity building and funding for communication professionals to design data-informed, impactful content.
• Use visual and short-form storytelling strategically, ensuring factual accuracy and emotional depth.
• Replace negative or overused climate terms with positive, action-oriented language that encourages participation.
• Simplify complex concepts by breaking jargon into accessible, relatable messages for multiple audiences.
• Strengthen institutional support and funding for communication within climate programs, promoting recognition, ethics, and sustainability.

Role of Media in Setting Narratives around Climate Action in India

The ninth webinar of the Dialogue Series was held on October 7, 2025, on the theme Role of Media in Setting Narratives around Climate Action in India. The session brought together eminent media professionals and climate communicators to explore how journalism, storytelling, and regional voices can bridge the gap between science, policy, and people in shaping India’s climate discourse.

Panellists

1. 1. Ms. Nidhi Jamwal, Independent Journalist

• Ms. Uzmi Athar, Chief Correspondent, Press Trust of India

1. 1. Ms. Varsha Singh, Independent Journalist

• Mr. Badri Chatterjee, Strategic Communications Specialist, Common Ground Initiative

• Ms. Sharmistha Singh, Consultant – Communications, WII (Moderator)

The dialogue emphasized that media plays a crucial role in translating complex climate science into relatable stories, creating empathy, and motivating public and policy action. The discussion reflected on how storytelling can humanize climate impacts, ensure inclusivity of regional narratives, and build accountability through consistent, science-informed journalism.

 

Key Points from Discussion

Uncovering Hidden Climate Stories and Building Local Connections

Impactful climate stories often lie beyond mainstream headlines. Journalists must look beyond the surface—into small news briefs, rural realities, and everyday struggles—to uncover issues of water, land, and livelihood. Field engagement and trust-building with communities are essential for finding authentic narratives that connect local challenges with broader climate realities.

Human-Centered Storytelling: From Victims to Change-Makers

Climate communication should shift from portraying communities as helpless victims to highlighting their resilience and leadership. Reporting that emphasizes agency—such as women reviving traditional seeds, managing resources, or adapting to extreme weather—creates empowering narratives. Spending time in the field and including diverse perspectives, including men’s roles, ensures balanced, inclusive storytelling.

Simplifying Science and Bridging Knowledge Gaps

Effective climate communication demands translating complex science into relatable stories. Journalists can collaborate with scientists to interpret data, clarify concepts, and ensure accuracy. Asking simple questions, contextualizing findings with lived experiences, and weaving data with emotion make stories both credible and engaging. Local and indigenous knowledge should also be integrated to bring community insights and traditional wisdom into public discourse.

Expanding Climate Communication Across Regions and Languages

Regional and vernacular media play a crucial role in making climate information accessible. Reporting in local languages connects directly with people’s lived realities, demystifies scientific terms, and fosters awareness. Regional stories—whether about forest fires, melting glaciers, or changing rainfall—often hold national and even global relevance when presented through local voices.

Balancing Empathy, Objectivity, and Ethical Reporting

Climate reporting often involves emotional and distressing experiences. Journalists must balance empathy with professionalism—avoiding sensationalism or advocacy while maintaining compassion and authenticity. Fact-checking, peer feedback, and third-person reviews can help ensure neutrality, especially when covering human stories with strong emotional undertones.

Rethinking Narratives: Language, Land, and Urban Spaces

Media language shapes public perception. Outdated terms like “wastelands” undermine ecological and community value. Reframing such narratives recognizes the multifunctional role of commons and promotes equitable land-use and restoration. Similarly, storytelling on urban climate issues—heat stress, flooding, air pollution—must connect civic governance with environmental resilience, holding institutions accountable for implementation gaps.

Independent and Investigative Journalism in Climate Reporting

Independent journalism enables in-depth, solution-oriented climate storytelling. Although it lacks institutional backing and financial stability, it allows creative freedom and time for deep research. Local, ground-based stories often become global case studies when thoroughly reported. However, safety, funding, and editorial support remain critical needs for sustaining independent climate journalism.

Mainstreaming Climate Stories and Institutional Support

Environmental journalism competes with political and economic headlines, but strategic framing—linking climate impacts to health, livelihoods, and governance—can secure editorial space. Consistent, well-researched stories build credibility with editors. Strengthening newsroom capacities, creating fellowships, and forming partnerships among scientists, NGOs, and media can further institutionalize climate communication.

Communication as Climate Action

The dialogue concluded that communication itself is a form of climate action. By translating complex science into human stories, amplifying local voices, and connecting communities to policy and research, media can transform awareness into understanding and drive collective, on-ground climate response.

 

Recommendations

• Foster collaboration among journalists, scientists, and communities to co-create accurate, evidence-based, and relatable climate stories that link science with lived realities.
• Promote vernacular and regional language journalism to ensure climate communication is inclusive, locally grounded, and accessible to diverse audiences.
• Encourage human-centered and solution-oriented storytelling that highlights community resilience, local innovations, and women’s leadership rather than focusing solely on vulnerability or loss.
• Integrate indigenous and traditional knowledge systems with scientific insights to enrich understanding, strengthen credibility, and promote culturally rooted climate narratives.
• Reframe outdated environmental terms and narratives (e.g., “wastelands”) to emphasize the ecological and social value of landscapes, promoting equity and sustainable land management.
• Support independent and investigative journalism through fellowships, grants, and partnerships, enabling deeper, field-based reporting and long-form storytelling on climate issues.
• Build institutional and newsroom capacities by organizing workshops that train journalists to interpret scientific data, use credible sources, and communicate complex findings clearly.
• Ensure ethical and safe reporting environments by establishing safety protocols, peer networks, and mental health support for journalists working in remote or risk-prone areas.
• Mainstream climate reporting in national media by linking climate themes with governance, health, economy, and policy debates, ensuring consistent editorial attention and long-term funding.
• Recognize communication as climate action, positioning the media as a catalyst for awareness, accountability, and behavioural change in India’s climate response.

Narratives

The rising extremities in the tea gardens of Jorhat, Assam

Anuradha Barua

 

I grew up in Titabor, a small town in Assam’s Jorhat district, surrounded by vast tea gardens, lush paddy fields, small rivers that eventually flow into the mighty Brahmaputra, and the distant silhouette of the Naga Hills. From the balcony of my home, these landscapes framed my childhood. Much of my early life was spent outdoors—running across fields, fishing in ponds, and spending hours in nature that became both my playground and classroom. Assam’s biodiversity was woven into everyday life. Wetlands, which we call Beals, were once abundant with migratory birds and native fish that sustained households. Our traditional bamboo-and-thatch homes were built to endure both floods and earthquakes, while rice and fish formed the staples of our diet, and festivals followed the rhythm of agriculture.

Over the years, however, I have witnessed how this relationship with nature has begun to unravel. Floods, once seasonal and predictable, confined to July and August, now arrive as early as April and often stretch into September. They no longer bring just water but widespread destruction—washing away crops, eroding riverbanks, and damaging homes. Assam, once known for its abundant rains, recently recorded a 34% monsoon rainfall deficit, creating prolonged drought-like conditions, even as sudden floods have grown more severe. Summers feel longer and hotter, adding another layer of difficulty.

Tea gardens, the lifeline of Assam, also bear the brunt. Small growers I have spoken with often say the climate is no longer conducive for healthy yields. Many resort to heavy use of fertilizers to cope, further weakening soil health and deepening the cycle of climate stress.

These disruptions are not just environmental but cultural. Rituals tied to sowing, fishing practices, and native foods are disappearing. Certain fish once central to our cuisine are now scarce, and with migration caused by floods and erosion, intergenerational knowledge of traditional practices is fading.

What stands out most for me is the shift from predictability to uncertainty. In my childhood, rains came on time, and communities trusted the rhythm of seasons. Today, the same land faces scarcity and excess together—droughts and floods arriving in rapid succession. Climate change is reshaping not just landscapes, but also how we live, adapt, and remember our connection to nature.

 

The urbanising landscape in the Doon

Dr Irina Das Sarkar

 

Dehradun, tucked in the Doon Valley between the Shivaliks and the Lesser Himalaya, has long carried a unique charm—cool breezes, laid-back life, Indo-Tibetan cultural influences, and the natural beauty of sal forests and tea gardens. Historically, it was a gateway to the Himalaya, connecting to Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Chakrata, and beyond. It also gained prominence as the site of Uttarakhand’s first railway station and is home to premier research institutions like the FRI, WII, and Wadia Institute. For decades, the city has drawn people seeking nature, knowledge, and escape from urban chaos.
Yet its growth has come at a cost. Expanding highways, IT hubs, and residential complexes have cut into forests and farmlands, fragmenting ecosystems and erasing traditional wood-stone architecture. Dehradun, once an ecological corridor, now faces heavy tourism pressure, long traffic jams, and extensive littering, alongside noise and visual pollution. Its spring-fed drainage systems—the Rispana, Bindal, and Asan—struggle to meet rising demands from a swelling population and migrant influx. Climate impacts are stark: heat waves, erratic rainfall, and intensifying human-wildlife conflict.

Tourism and trekking, once soulful and tied to cultural traditions, are increasingly commercialized. Instagram culture and mass operators have stripped pilgrimages and treks of their spiritual essence, while homestays have been reduced to clichés like “Pahadi Maggi,” overshadowing authentic millet- and fruit-based cuisines. Youth, drawn to global trends, are increasingly detached from their heritage—Garhwali is now listed as a vulnerable language by UNESCO, and agricultural festivals have declined with the waning importance of farming.

Still, Dehradun’s transformation has also brought benefits: improved connectivity for rural Himalayan communities, new economic opportunities, and global recognition. Rishikesh, for example, has become a hub for yoga and Ayurveda, hosting the International Yoga Festival and attracting seekers from around the world.

Since 2015, I have seen Dehradun stand at a fascinating crossroads—between its storied past and its fast-paced modernization. Its future depends on finding a balance: preserving the landscapes, traditions, and cultural soul that make it magical, while embracing the opportunities of growth.

 

Preserved memories of a greener Purnia

Syed Muhammad Muzammil

 

I was born in Kolkata, but much of my childhood was tied to Purnia, a small town in Bihar once part of Bengal province. Its name, derived from Pun Aranya—“complete jungle”—captures its natural abundance. My late grandfather, Tariq Jamili, an Urdu lecturer, dramatist, and poet, devoted his life to the town. His ode to Purnia, once taught in college, gave me permission to love the place deeply. Childhood holidays meant long journeys—the Hata Bazaar Express from Sealdah to Katihar, followed by bumpy car rides through villages of mud-walled homes, arching trees, ponds with herons and kingfishers, and fields alive with parakeets and cattle. The Shiv Mandir, modest and reddish-orange, marked the turn to my grandfather’s lane. Its trishul was my compass, guiding me home.

Our lane was kaccha, lined with mossy walls, fruit trees, and climbers. My grandfather’s house stood amid orchards of guava, banana, papaya, and jamun, with vegetables and flowers filling the yard. Afternoons meant sneaking to the terrace with lychees, gazing over fields, lakes, orchards, and homes in harmony with wilderness. Human life and nature seemed knitted together.

When I returned in 2019, after seven years, the journey felt altered. Flights and shared cabs replaced trains. Roads now bore plastics and diesel smoke, villages gave way to markets, showrooms, and solar-paneled houses. By the time we reached Purnia, the town felt louder and more congested. The Shiv Mandir was rebuilt in marble, stripped of its rustic familiarity. The fig tree was gone, replaced by political hoardings. Cows and dogs foraged through garbage. Pakka roads and tall boundary walls erased the intimacy of open lanes. My grandfather’s house still stood, but boxed in, its garden shrunken to concrete. The orchard and vegetable patches had largely disappeared, though a few papaya and banana trees remained.

Climbing the terrace brought back memories, but the view had changed—fields replaced by apartments, lakes filled in by concrete, schoolyards halved. Yet, near my grandfather’s grave, shaded by neem, berghul, and a small fig tree, I felt the old Purnia linger. Amid grasses and wildflowers, his presence tethered me back to the town’s soul, preserving its memory even as its landscapes transformed.

 

The signals of the Idavapathi

Sandra Thomas

 

I was born and brought up in Thrissur, Kerala, where I spent more than 20 years of my life. Known as the cultural capital of the state, Thrissur is a city of festivals, temples, and traditions. But alongside its cultural importance, it has always had a deep bond with nature—especially the rhythm of its monsoons. Over the years, however, I have seen this relationship shift dramatically.

As a child, the monsoon was like clockwork. It always arrived in the first week of June, coinciding with school reopening. I still remember the excitement of umbrella shopping, as important as buying new uniforms and books. Kerala’s first major rainy season—the southwest monsoon, or Idavapathi—would last from June to September, bringing nearly 70% of the state’s rainfall. It replenished rivers and wells, gave rhythm to farming, and ended with Onam, the harvest festival. I grew up hearing stories from my grandmother about how, in earlier times, families struggled during the long rainy months, surviving on whatever grew in their backyards, until the harvest brought abundance. Onam celebrations—flower carpets, feasts, and the welcoming of King Mahabali—symbolized that abundance and the connection between people and nature.

After Onam, the second rainy season arrived—the northeast monsoon, or Thula Varsham. Unlike the steady southwest rains, this one was marked by evening thunderstorms. It also brought traditions like Aushadakanni, an Ayurvedic porridge consumed to build immunity during the disease-prone season. Sadly, such practices are fading.

Today, the once predictable rhythm of rain has become erratic. The monsoons arrive too early or too late, with long dry spells interrupted by sudden downpours. Low-pressure systems over the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal drive unpredictable rains, often lasting for days. Tropical cyclones—once unheard of in my childhood—now strike frequently. My first experience was Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, and Kerala has since faced several others, alongside devastating floods in 2018 and 2019.

What was once a gentle, life-giving cycle has turned into a source of fear. Thrissur’s rains, once tied to joy, agriculture, and festivals, now bring floods, landslides, and destruction—reminders of how deeply climate change has unsettled the patterns of life in Kerala.

The seventh webinar of the Dialogue Series was held on August 1, 2025, on the theme LBM’s Triple Dividend: Biodiverse Forest Economies, Cleaner Air & Connected Landscapes. The panel featured experts from biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and air quality management, exploring how LBM initiatives can be designed to maximize ecological, social, and environmental outcomes.

Panelists

• Dr. Meghna Bandyopadhyay, Assistant Manager, Wildlife Trust of India

• Mr. Steffan Ajay R J A, Coordinator, WWF India (Tamil Nadu)

• Ms. Priyanka Singh, Program Lead – Clean Air, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

• Dr. Priyamvada Bagaria, Senior Manager – Ecosystem Service Valuation, Iora Ecological Solutions (Moderator)

The dialogue highlighted the need to design land-based mitigation (LBM) interventions holistically, ensuring that they deliver multiple dividends – including biodiversity conservation, air quality improvement, sustainable livelihoods, and resilient landscapes, while identifying policy, institutional, and community-based pathways for scaling impact.

Key Points from Discussion

Restoring Fallow Lands to Prevent Degradation and Conflict

In eco-sensitive mountain areas, fallow lands often degrade into wastelands or informal dump sites, attracting wildlife such as jackals and red foxes into human settlements. This increases human–wildlife conflict and the risk of disease transmission between wildlife, livestock, and humans. LBM interventions should prioritize restoring these lands through reforestation, habitat enrichment, and community-led management to prevent further degradation and associated conflicts.

Sustainable Grazing to Protect Mountain Meadows

Traditional livestock grazing is deeply embedded in mountain communities, but overuse of core forest meadows threatens their ecological balance. Integrating rotational grazing, stall feeding, and alternative fodder sources can reduce pressure on limited grazing areas, ensuring both community livelihoods and ecological resilience.

Community-led Invasive Species Management: Tamil Nadu’s Lantana Briquette Model

The Thalavadi Adivasikal Munnetra Sangam (TAMS), a tribal-led institution, removed invasive lantana and converted it into marketable briquettes. Supported by Startup Tamil Nadu and facilitated by WWF India, the initiative linked ecological restoration with livelihood generation, policy support, and financial backing. This case illustrates how local governance structures, economic incentives, and multi-stakeholder partnerships can sustain invasive species management over the long term.

Designing LBM for Air Quality Co-benefits

Urban greening can serve as a barrier to particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5) by slowing wind movement and providing deposition surfaces. However, species selection, plantation placement (e.g., upwind of pollution sources), and maintenance are critical for effectiveness. Restoring abandoned plots and dump sites can reduce both pollution and land degradation. Embedding air quality monitoring into project design can provide evidence for co-benefits.

Grassland Restoration for Central India’s Wildlife Corridors

Grasslands in central India are often seasonal and challenging to identify, appearing barren in dry months but flourishing after rains. Restoration efforts should begin with mapping and identifying grassland patches, especially those serving as dispersal or migratory corridors. Management requires multi-year protection and weeding cycles, supported by local committees like Van Suraksha Samitis and Gram Vikas Samitis to ensure continuity after NGO exit.

Financial Incentives and Cultural Relevance for Community Engagement

Economic benefits and cultural connections are essential for sustaining community participation in restoration. Activities that revive traditional resources (e.g., rare edible plant varieties) or yield marketable non-timber forest products (NTFPs) ensure both income generation and preservation of traditional knowledge systems.

Urban–Peri-urban Agriculture for Multifunctional Landscapes

Integrating agriculture into peri-urban restoration projects can create multifunctional spaces that act as wildlife corridors, enhance biodiversity, provide food security, and generate livelihoods. This approach also addresses the ecological connectivity between rural and urban areas.

Aligning Urban Greening with Air Quality Programs

Urban greening under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is often constrained by short funding cycles versus the long establishment period for trees. Cross-departmental coordination (forestry, municipal, irrigation) is needed for planning, implementation, and maintenance. Additionally, green waste from urban forestry must be managed to prevent seasonal pollution spikes from biomass burning.

Recommendations

• Restore and protect fallow lands in eco-sensitive and peri-urban areas to prevent degradation, reduce human–wildlife conflict, and curb potential air pollution sources.
• Integrate sustainable grazing practices such as rotational grazing and stall feeding in mountain landscapes to protect meadows and maintain community livelihoods.
• Strengthen and empower local institutions (e.g., Gram Sabhas, Van Suraksha Samitis, Gram Vikas Samitis) to lead restoration, invasive species management, and habitat connectivity initiatives.
• Embed air quality monitoring in LBM projects where urban or peri-urban greening is undertaken, enabling evidence-based demonstration of co-benefits.
• Identify and restore seasonal grasslands in central India and other heterogeneous landscapes, prioritizing multi-year protection and active management.
• Promote livelihood-linked restoration by selecting native species and NTFPs that meet both ecological and market needs, ensuring long-term community engagement.
• Encourage urban–peri-urban agriculture to create multifunctional landscapes serving as biodiversity corridors, food sources, and economic assets.
• Align urban greening programs with long-term funding and maintenance plans, ensuring inter-departmental coordination and integrating waste management to prevent secondary pollution.
• Leverage financial mechanisms such as carbon markets, green credits, and CSR funding to scale community-led LBM interventions.
• Incorporate cultural knowledge and traditions into restoration planning, ensuring interventions resonate with local identity and practices.

Narratives

Local Governance for Land-Based Climate Mitigation in Uttar Pradesh

The sixth webinar of the Dialogue Series was held on July 17th 2025, on Local Governance for Land-Based Climate Mitigation in Uttar Pradesh, with an esteemed panel of policy thinkers and grassroots-level development workers. 

Panellists

• Ms. Mekhala Shastry, Manager, Vasudha Foundation India

• Mr. Dhruva Kumar, Director, Panchsheel Development Trust

• Mr. Ramanshu Ganguly, Associate Director- Climate Insights, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

• Mr. Santosh Dev Giri, Journalist

Context-Setting: Dr Madhu Verma, Senior Economic Advisor and Chief Environmental Economist, Iora Ecological Solutions

Moderator: Dr Aakriti Wanchoo, Vice President- Agriculture & Climate Change, Iora Ecological Solutions

 

Key Points from Discussion

Livelihood Resilience for Climate Resilience

Uttar Pradesh faces a range of climate vulnerabilities—including rising heat, frequent flooding, and declining soil health—that threaten the state’s environmental and economic stability. Soil organic carbon has decreased significantly over time, while nitrogen levels remain excessively high, further compromising agricultural productivity. Strengthening climate resilience in the state must begin with bolstering livelihood systems, particularly in agriculture. This includes transitioning to regenerative, low-input farming practices and promoting crop diversification to shift farmers toward more resilient and remunerative value chains. Alongside this, alternative livelihoods such as fisheries and livestock offer additional income streams that can reduce dependency on climate-sensitive agriculture. Infrastructure development, especially in flood-prone regions, is also crucial—ensuring community-level facilities like public health centers are built to withstand climatic shocks. Equally important is the need to restore soil ecology at a landscape level through agroecological approaches. At the core of all these efforts is community resilience, which can be supported through robust safety nets, such as early warning systems and better-designed agri-insurance. Current insurance models remain too generalized and need to become more farmer-specific to increase adoption and effectiveness. Ultimately, improving UP’s climate resilience will depend on securing and diversifying rural livelihoods, investing in adaptive infrastructure, and creating responsive, community-focused support systems.

Resistance Against Extractive Development in the Vindhyas 

The Vindhya region, particularly in Mirzapur, has long been labeled as a Naxal-affected area, though the past decade has seen peace and community-led development efforts. This area, home to Dalit and Adivasi communities, is rich in culture and natural resources, with forested hills and limited agricultural land. Historically, tribal and marginalized communities cultivated these lands for their livelihoods. However, in recent years, rampant exploitation by land and timber mafias has threatened both the ecology and local well-being.

A major point of contention is the establishment of a power plant in the ecologically sensitive Vindhyan forest area—part of a protected bear habitat. Earlier attempts by private companies were successfully resisted by local movements such as the Vindhya Bachao Abhiyan, which mobilized community awareness and faced significant repression. With the re-entry of a large energy conglomerate in the region, fears have intensified about environmental destruction, displacement, and long-term health risks due to pollution. Despite promises of electricity and development, many surrounding areas still lack basic power access, casting doubt on the benefits to local communities. The resistance is not against development itself, but against its extractive, exclusionary nature. Locals demand that such projects be relocated to less ecologically and socially sensitive zones to protect their forests, water, and livelihoods.

Avenues of Resources and Planning for a Gram Panchayat

First, awareness and capacity building at the panchayat level is crucial. Many elected representatives and functionaries are unaware of existing schemes like the National Adaptation Fund, state-level forestry or watershed programs, or recent initiatives like the decentralized renewable energy program under Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) for women’s empowerment. A state-level initiative, possibly led by the Rural Development Department or a panchayat-focused institution, could launch targeted capacity-building programs. These should be designed to raise awareness and help panchayats navigate funding processes. Second, technical support through partnerships with local NGOs, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, or academic institutions is vital. Local organizations have contextual knowledge and trust within communities, making them ideal collaborators for designing and implementing context-specific climate actions, such as agroforestry, soil carbon enhancement, or renewable energy solutions. Third, institutional integration of climate action into existing planning frameworks like the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) is needed. Embedding climate-smart activities in GPDPs would allow panchayats to align development goals with climate resilience and leverage ongoing schemes more effectively.

Learnings from climate planning in 43 Gram Panchayats across UP show clear local intent for action—particularly around water management—but also reveal a lack of awareness and technical capacity. Mobilizing support through local institutions and integrating climate action into planning can unlock significant grassroots potential.

Changing Agricultural Landscape in Bahraich and the Tarai Region

In Bahraich and the Tarai region, agriculture is evolving in response to climate change and the need to reduce migration. Around 4,000 families have been supported to take up riverbed farming, allowing them to stay and earn locally. Crops like moong, urad, and maize have proven more profitable than traditional paddy, yielding up to ₹70,000 per acre.

However, climate impacts are severe. Rising temperatures above 40°C during peak months and a shrinking monsoon—now just 30–35 days—have raised production costs by 46% and affected crop yields. In response, farmers are shifting to natural and organic practices, including the use of cow urine, neem-based solutions, and IPM tools like yellow and blue traps. Community-led efforts and shared learning have strengthened resilience. Local crops like Hara Madhu muskmelon have gained popularity, showing that sustainable, chemical-free farming can offer both economic and environmental benefits.

Optimising the Mass Tree Plantations

Mass tree plantation efforts in village panchayats often face challenges due to a disconnect between the types of saplings provided and the actual needs and capacities of the community. While plantation drives are carried out on a large scale, they frequently overlook key factors like land availability, species suitability, and long-term maintenance. Many villagers, especially smallholders, prefer tree species that can coexist with crops or provide direct benefits like shade, fodder, or income. However, the current approach often emphasizes timber species not aligned with local needs. A major concern is the lack of community ownership and post-plantation support. There are no structured programs that incentivize or assist communities in caring for saplings over the 4–5 years required for them to mature. Additionally, water scarcity, especially in the eight dry months, severely affects survival rates. To improve outcomes, plantation efforts must be demand-driven, planned in advance, linked to community incentives, and supported with water access and care systems.

Reimagining Partnerships and Policy Assessment

A key innovation emerging from the development of climate-smart action plans is the proposed Panchayat-Private Partnership (PPP) model—a tripartite collaboration between the environment department, local panchayats, and private sector or CSR stakeholders. This model can enhance continuity, accountability, and contextual relevance of climate actions. By integrating CSR funding, the partnership ensures financial support while embedding monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Crucially, direct panchayat involvement fosters local ownership, increasing the likelihood of sustained implementation.

Beyond partnerships, the approach to policy implementation and impact assessment also needs to evolve. Instead of focusing narrowly on short-term outputs—such as number of trees planted or beneficiaries covered—planning should emphasize long-term outcomes and transformative goals. This shift involves weaving together schemes with a clear vision for landscape-level improvement and community resilience. It also calls for rethinking how success is measured, moving from purely quantitative indicators to qualitative metrics that reflect the depth and durability of impact. By aligning partnerships with outcome-oriented planning, the effectiveness and relevance of climate policy at the local level can be significantly enhanced.

Recommendations

• Support regenerative farming, crop diversification, and alternative incomes to strengthen climate and economic resilience.
• Build awareness and capacity to integrate climate-smart strategies into Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
• Encourage natural, low-cost practices in regions like Bahraich and the larger Tarai region to combat rising costs and climate stress.
• Align tree species with local needs, ensure care incentives, and provide water access for sapling survival.
• Shift from counting activities to measuring long-term landscape improvement and livelihood resilience.
• Avoid development in fragile ecosystems; ensure local consent and environmental safeguards are in place.
• Integrate agriculture, forestry, and energy programs for cohesive, area-specific climate interventions.
• Partner with NGOs and research centers for contextual climate planning and technical support.
• Provide care incentives, early warnings, and tailor insurance to local climate risks and needs.