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-...

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.

carbonbrief.org

"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

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.

thequint.com

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.

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

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.

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...

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.

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

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

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?’,

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.”

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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,

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

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

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,

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.