“Cities of the future cannot simply be hotter versions of today’s cities with more cooling systems added,” said Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative in India. “They must be designed differently, with greater emphasis on walkability, green and blue spaces, mixed land use, climate-sensitive architecture, and public spaces that reduce heat exposure while improving quality of life.”
She also stressed that as exposure to extreme heat increases in India, the focus must be on practical solutions, with domestic climate finance being provided. UNDP has worked with India to develop its National Adaptation Plan, which includes some of these strategies.
Excerpts from the interview:
We are witnessing a severe extreme heat crisis in parts of India. What kind of infrastructure interventions can help address this and protect the most vulnerable populations?
India’s heat crisis is no longer just a public health challenge. This increasingly poses a challenge to infrastructure, development and equality. As extreme heat becomes more intense, the priority must be to reduce exposure, protect essential services, and target investments towards the most vulnerable communities. Especially those living in informal settlements, densely populated urban areas, schools, health facilities and workplaces that rely on outdoor work.
Many of the most effective solutions are practical and place-based, including cool roofs, shaded public spaces, reflective surfaces, urban forests, blue-green corridors, drinking water access points, and thermal refuge spaces in schools, anganwadi centers, and health facilities.
The extreme heat also represents an opportunity to rethink how India’s cities grow. Cities of the future cannot simply be hotter versions of today’s cities with the addition of more cooling systems. They must be designed differently, with greater emphasis on walkability, green and blue spaces, mixed land use, climate-sensitive architecture, and public spaces that reduce heat exposure while improving quality of life.
Urban innovation should focus not only on heat management, but also on shaping cities that are healthier, more inclusive and more resilient.
Heat and air pollution are also closely linked. Rising temperatures can worsen air quality and increase health risks, especially for children, the elderly, and outdoor workers.
Urban planning solutions, such as expanding tree cover, improving public transportation, clean energy systems, and nature-based infrastructure, can help address both heat and pollution while achieving broader health and environmental benefits.
We are already seeing promising examples of how data and planning can enhance heat resilience. The Patna District Heat Model Action Plan, developed by UNDP in partnership with the Patna District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA), provides a powerful example of how cities can prepare for extreme heat. The plan includes a decision support system that integrates infrastructure data, health facility information, temperature analyzes and vulnerable population mapping, enabling local authorities to identify hotspots and respond more effectively.
UNDP has worked with India on its National Adaptation Plan. What do you think should be at the core of adaptation planning in India? What strategies will be key?
At its core, adaptation planning must be about protecting people, livelihoods and development gains. Climate change is already affecting water resources, agriculture, health, infrastructure, forests, and local economies across India, with vulnerable communities often bearing the brunt.
First, adaptation cannot be treated as a stand-alone environmental issue. It must become an integral part of development planning, public investment, and economic decision-making. Resilience to climate change must be built into various sectors, from agriculture and water management to health, infrastructure and urban planning.
Second, India has an opportunity to move from project-based adaptation to a more systematic, whole-of-government approach through the upcoming National Adaptation Plan. This means ensuring that climate risks are taken into account across ministries, sectors and levels of government, while strengthening coordination between national, state and local institutions.
Third, adaptation planning must be based on local realities. Adaptation is not limited to new technologies or infrastructure. In many parts of India, communities have long relied on locally available materials, traditional water systems, and nature-based practices that have helped them survive climate fluctuations. Restoring ponds, tanks, wetlands, traditional drainage systems and climate-responsive building practices can complement modern solutions while enhancing resilience in a cost-effective and culturally appropriate way.
How can India finance its adaptation strategy for effective implementation?
Financing adaptation at scale requires moving beyond standalone climate projects and integrating resilience into the mainstream of development finance. Public financing will remain key, but climate resilience must be integrated into sectoral budgets, infrastructure investments, and development programs in agriculture, water, health, and rural development.
At the same time, governments alone cannot finance the adaptation process. India will need to mobilize a broader ecosystem of actors, including international climate finance, private sector investments, banks, microfinance institutions, and cooperatives that are often closest to vulnerable communities. Strengthening the capacity of these institutions to assess climate risks and finance adaptation solutions will be critical to scaling up resilience on the ground.
One of the biggest challenges is that many adaptation investments remain unfinanceable, even though they deliver significant economic and social benefits. Investments in resilient agriculture, water security, ecosystem restoration, and climate-resilient infrastructure can reduce future losses and enhance long-term economic resilience, but these benefits are not always reflected in financing decisions.
This is an area where UNDP works closely with governments and partners.
How can climate finance reach or finance needed schemes for the poor?
Climate finance will only reach the poorest and most vulnerable communities if it is designed for local delivery, easy access, and solutions that address everyday climate risks. At present, too much climate finance remains concentrated in mega projects, while informal settlements and low-income households often receive only a small share of available resources.
First, climate finance must reach people through institutions that are actually closest to local communities. Municipalities, local governments, self-help groups, microfinance institutions and community-based organizations often have the strongest understanding of local needs and vulnerabilities.
Channeling resources through these institutions can support practical interventions such as roof cooling, drinking water access points, shaded public spaces, improved sanitation, resilient schools and health centres, and preparedness measures for floods and extreme heat.
Second, we must make better use of existing development programs that already have delivery systems and networks in place. Initiatives such as Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Jal Jeevan Mission and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) can play an important role in scaling up resilience to climate change.
Incorporating climate-related investments, such as watershed development, drought-resistant housing, and crop insurance, into these programs can help unlock international and domestic climate finance opportunities.
Third, climate finance must be directed towards communities facing the greatest risks. Risk and vulnerability assessments can help identify areas and settlements most vulnerable to climate so that resources reach those who need them most. This should be supported by dedicated financing windows for informal settlements, simpler grant procedures, and stronger convergence between housing, water, health and urban development programmes.
There is also an important role for catalytic capital from CSR initiatives, philanthropy, and impact investors. These resources can help de-risk community projects and attract greater flows of public and private financing over time.
India is developing rapidly. It will witness tremendous infrastructure development in the coming years. How can India balance biodiversity conservation and forest protection as they develop?
As India continues its rapid development journey and invests in new infrastructure, the solution is to integrate climate and biodiversity considerations into planning and investment decisions from the beginning, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
This means recognizing that nature itself is a form of vital infrastructure that supports communities, livelihoods and economies.
India’s development trajectory also provides an opportunity to leverage innovation and traditional environmental knowledge. Across the country, local communities have managed forests, water bodies, pastures and agricultural landscapes for generations using locally adapted practices. Reviving and expanding some of these methods, while integrating them with modern science, could help create development models that are environmentally sustainable and economically viable.
