India’s role in a warming world is proving to be vital, thanks to its demographic edge, expanding economy, consolidating geo-political position, and as a significant energy consumer and a prospective green solution provider.
The recently concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit, wherein India participated as a guest country, can be an ideal case in point. The G7, once focused primarily on economic coordination among industrialized democracies, the forum has become a central forum for addressing the most urgent planetary challenges. In 2025, as climate impacts intensify globally, the G7 has placed climate resilience at the heart of its agenda—not just as an environmental concern, but as a core issue of global security, development, and economic stability.
- Display of Climate Resilience amidst Climate Crisis
The global climate diplomacy, historically, has been dominated by mitigation—efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas. While this remains crucial, the growing severity and frequency of climate disasters have made it clear that mitigation alone is not sufficient. Adaptation and resilience are now as equal pillars in securing a more sustainable future for the planet.
The 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, marked a turning point. The summit’s outcomes included the adoption of a Wildfire Charter, greater alignment on infrastructure resilience, renewed support for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and a strong push to mobilize private capital for resilience investments. Notably, India—although not a G7 member—played a central role in shaping these priorities, signalling a deeper collaboration between advanced economies and the Global South. - The Evolution of Resilience on the G7 Agenda
Over the past five years, climate resilience has steadily moved from the margins to the centre of G7 discussions:- 2021 (Cornwall): The G7 recognized the growing gap in adaptation finance and the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable countries.
- 2022 (Schloss Elmau): The Climate Club was launched, focusing on decarbonization but leaving adaptation relatively underexplored.
- 2023 (Hiroshima): The first in-depth dialogues on resilience investments in food and energy systems were held.
- 2024 (Apulia): G7 countries committed to “resilience swaps,” early warning systems, and localized adaptation in low-income nations.
- 2025 (Kananaskis): A watershed moment, with the Wildfire Charter, enhanced NAP support, and strong convergence with India’s resilience strategies.
- India: Ground Zero for Climate Risk
India is widely recognized as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Its vast topography and geography makes it susceptible to a range of climate impacts:- Cyclones and floods regularly devastate coastal and the north-eastern regions.
- Glacial melt and GLOFs (Glacial Lake Outburst Floods) endanger Himalayan communities.
- Heatwaves and droughts strain agriculture and water supplies across central and western India.
- Rising sea levels threaten megacities like Mumbai, Kochi, and Chennai.
Despite these challenges, India is not merely coping—it is setting global precedents in resilience thinking, combining scientific innovation, grassroots adaptation, and multilateral diplomacy.
At the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, “Resilience is not charity—it’s shared security.” This statement emphasises India’s core message that investing in resilience is essential not just for climate justice but for global economic and social stability. India’s three-pronged approach—institutional innovation, decentralized climate action, and global coalition-building—offers a replicable model.
- India’s National Blueprint for Resilience
India’s climate resilience strategy is multi-sectoral and deeply embedded in its development planning:- Early Warning Systems: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) now provides cyclone, heatwave, and flood alerts covering the entire coastline and major river basins. The successful evacuation before Cyclone Phailin in 2013—resulting in near-zero casualties—set a global benchmark.
- PM-KUSUM Scheme: This flagship initiative empowers farmers to adopt solar-powered irrigation, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and unreliable monsoons while increasing income security.
- National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC): The NAFCC funds over 30 projects at the state level, focusing on sectors such as water conservation, climate-resilient crops, and ecosystem-based adaptation.
- Smart Cities Mission: More than 100 cities are integrating climate resilience into infrastructure planning, including flood-resilient buildings, green public spaces, and improved drainage networks.
- State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs): Each Indian state has been tasked with developing a localized adaptation strategy, linking climate risk assessments to agriculture, water, energy, and public health systems.
Together, these efforts are transforming India into a living lab for climate adaptation—from mangrove plantations in Sundarbans to urban heat mitigation in Ahmedabad.
- Mission LiFE: Resilience Begins at Home
India’s leadership on resilience extends beyond institutions to individual action. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), unveiled by PM Modi alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2022, promotes behavioural change as a resilience strategy.
Rather than framing climate action as a government responsibility alone, LiFE mobilizes citizens to:
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- Adopt sustainable mobility options,
- Conserve energy and water,
- Prepare families for climate emergencies.
- Reduce waste and emissions at the household level,
LiFE integrates climate awareness into education, housing, urban planning, and disaster preparedness. Its people-centric model is now being studied by G7 nations as a blueprint for public engagement in adaptation strategies, marking a significant moment of South-to-North policy transfer.
- Financing Resilience: Advocacy and Innovation from India
One of the greatest barriers to climate adaptation is reliable and proper financing. While bullion of dollars finds its way into mitigation projects like renewable energy, adaptation remains underfunded, especially in vulnerable countries.
India has taken a bold stance, calling for:
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- Dedicated adaptation finance windows: Separate from loans, emphasizing grants for the most vulnerable.
- Reforming Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs): To integrate climate resilience metrics into lending frameworks.
- Resilience bonds: Instruments that allow cities and states to raise funds linked to risk reduction outcomes.
At Kananaskis, India proposed using AI-powered risk modelling tools—developed through CDRI and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)—to de-risk infrastructure investments and attract private capital. Cities like Surat and Bhubaneswar are now piloting such models to access global green finance markets.
- Toward a Resilience-First Global Architecture
India has consistently pushed for a “resilience-first” framework in global climate governance. This means:
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- Establishing a Global Resilience Compact, linking funding, technology, and knowledge-sharing mechanisms.
- Elevating locally led adaptation in global frameworks—especially for Indigenous, rural, and marginalized communities.
- Broadening the metrics of climate finance to include resilience dividends, such as avoided losses, improved livelihoods, and reduced migration pressures.
These priorities were reflected in the G7’s Kananaskis outcome document, which committed to incorporating adaptation and resilience goals into the post-2025 global climate finance targets, to be finalized at COP30 in Brazil.
- Global Convergence: From G7 to G20 to COP30
The next one and half year present a rare geopolitical alignment:
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- France will host the G7 in 2026, with a focus on green industrialization and just transitions.
- South Africa will chair the G20 in 2025–26, with equity and development as central themes.
- Brazil will lead COP30, tasked with setting the post-2025 climate finance roadmap.
India sees this moment as a historic opportunity to build coherence across these platforms. It is championing:
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- A unified global roadmap for resilience;
- Integrating CDRI and ISA (International Solar Alliance) projects into new climate finance mechanisms;
- Launching a Global Early Warning System Fund, developed in collaboration with the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage.
- Conclusion: India’s Transformative Leadership in Resilience
As climate disasters escalate in intensity and frequency, the world can no longer afford to treat resilience as an afterthought. India is demonstrating that resilience is not just about survival—it is about transformation.
Through institutional leadership (CDRI, ISA), people-centric campaigns (LiFE), financial innovation (resilience bonds), and international advocacy (UNFCCC, G20, G7), India is redefining the global conversation. It is proving that countries on the frontlines of climate risk can also be at the forefront of solutions.
The G7’s embrace of climate resilience, guided in part by India’s advocacy, marks a critical shift in global governance. It underscores the reality that resilience is shared security—a foundation not only for climate justice but for global peace, prosperity, and stability.
As the world braces for more unpredictable and disruptive climate impacts, India’s dual role as a vulnerable nation and a visionary leader will be indispensable in shaping a safer, more adaptive future for all.