India is in the midst of an exceptionally hot summer at the onset of one of the hottest years in recorded history. Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and widespread, straining people’s health and livelihoods, infrastructure, and public health systems. The unseasonably early arrival of summer heatwaves in northern and western India made it abundantly clear that we are living through the definitive climate risk of our time.
Urban temperatures have soared to above 50°C in recent years in parts of the country and rural areas regularly face crop losses, lack of access to clean water, and the rising mortality due to extreme heat is a cause for alarm. Responding by relying on air-conditioning alone is not only short-sighted but inequitable. Instead, we need a transformative response that addresses both the challenges of mitigating extreme heat and sustainable cooling solutions holistically and equitably. Traditional, fragmented approaches are no longer sufficient. For decades, the dominant response to climate threats has focused on isolated measures–emergency warnings, reactive relief, and adaptation projects are worked on in silos. These efforts fall short of protecting the most vulnerable communities from the layered and intersecting impacts of a rapidly warming planet. What is needed is a more integrated approach, one that recognises thermal comfort as a critical public health priority and frames climate resilience and sustainable cooling as deeply interconnected challenges. Without this integration, vulnerable populations will remain unprotected and long-term development goals will remain out of reach.
Integrated climate resilience strategies that imbue sustainable, equitable cooling solutions hold the key to safeguarding public health, reducing climate vulnerability, protecting livelihoods and advancing long-term development goals. More importantly, they offer a pathway to inclusive solutions, ensuring that no one is left behind in the face of rising temperatures. Equity must be the cornerstone of climate adaptation, and thermal comfort, a universally recognised fundamental need.
We must confront the dual challenge: Neither cooling nor climate resilience alone can shield communities from the full spectrum of heat-related risks. While cooling technologies provide immediate relief, climate-responsive infrastructure offers long-term protection. Their integration into housing, urban planning, public health, and energy systems can reshape how cities and regions prepare for and respond to rising heat. This calls for policy and financial innovation. We need national frameworks that embed sustainable cooling and thermal comfort into climate action plans, urban development policies, and building codes. Local adaptation can be incentivised, recognising the distinct needs of each geography. For instance, solutions must consider urban density and vulnerability assessments, energy access, and socio-economic conditions. Integrated solutions need to be affordable and scalable, backed by financial tools that reduce upfront costs and unlock investments across sectors.
Models such as concessional financing, results-based incentives, and blended capital can support widespread adoption of sustainable cooling solutions while ensuring equity. Crucially, financial mechanisms must also encourage local manufacturing, job creation, and behavioral change, making the transition not just equitable, but economically empowering.
To make this a reality, partnership is essential. The complexity of climate resilience demands collaboration across sectors. Governments, industry, research institutions, civil society and grassroots organisations and local communities each bring unique capabilities. Only by working together can we achieve solutions that are both ambitious yet grounded.
Multi-sector partnerships enable alignment between policy mandates, financial flows, technological solutions, and community needs. They also ensure accountability and innovation.
India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has emerged as a leader in this space, mandating heat preparedness through a multi-pronged approach that includes early warning systems, inter-agency coordination, and public outreach. NDMA’s support for Heat Action Plans (HAPs) across states and cities reflects the growing national recognition that extreme heat is a priority risk that must be addressed through both adaptation and mitigation.
At the local level, new models are taking root. The HAP for Jodhpur, Rajasthan, developed by NRDC and partners, incorporates heat mapping and a vulnerability assessment that helps local administration with targeted strategies to protect the most at-risk populations. Similarly, in Thane, Maharashtra, the plan developed by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has integrated community-based interventions with city-level planning. The state of Telangana also launched the country’s first Cool Roof Policy in 2025 to make thermal comfort accessible and equitable. These examples demonstrate that local adaptation is essential, and it is already happening. Crucially, these HAPs and other policies are evolving from their initial reactive design to become proactive tools, guided by data and focused on long-term resilience.
These efforts are paving the way for broader systemic transformation. Integrated approaches to cooling and heat resilience deliver co-benefits: they reduce electricity demand, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to more sustainable, liveable urban and rural environments. Interventions such as cool roofs, greening, and energy-efficient ceiling fans are low-cost and powerful tools to protect communities while supporting broader energy and climate goals. These strategies also relieve pressure on the grid – in alignment with India’s cooling action plan and net-zero commitments.
The path forward is clear: government, civil society, finance, and industry must come together to develop, finance, and scale integrated thermal comfort solutions. India, with its experience, innovation, and leadership, is well positioned to lead this charge, offering models that can be replicated and scaled globally. As one of the most climate-vulnerable yet resourceful nations, India has a unique opportunity to lead the Global South in building thermal resilience that is equitable, affordable, and scalable. By combining the urgency of climate adaptation with the inclusiveness of development goals, India can model the delivery of climate justice at scale. In centering our responses based on equity and innovation, we can turn the heat crisis into a catalyst for inclusive development, ensuring that no one is left behind.
This article is authored by Dipa Singh Bagai, country head, Natural Resource Defence Council, India.
