Commons

Commons Sensing: Ep 04 – Climate Change, Conflict & the Commons | Siddhartha Krishnan & Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava

What does climate change look like when experienced through nature, livelihoods, and their disruptions?

In this episode of Commons Sensing, Siddhartha Krishnan and Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava explore the intersections of climate change, ecology, and conflict across India’s shared landscapes.

Drawing from long-term research and grounded reporting, the conversation connects climate impacts with land use conflicts, rivers, renewable energy transitions, and the shifting governance of Commons. It reveals how climate change is not just an environmental challenge, but one that is deeply tied to questions of access, control, and justice.

Across diverse contexts, the episode reflects on how climate disruptions often intensify existing vulnerabilities, especially for communities whose livelihoods depend on shared natural resources.

At the centre of the discussion lies a critical question, can Commons-based approaches offer pathways to climate resilience that more centralised responses often overlook?

Commons Sensing is a conversation podcast hosted by Kanchi Kohli and produced by the Common Ground Initiative. The series brings the idea of Commons out of policy documents and academic debates into lived, everyday realities.

This is the fourth episode of a five-part series exploring how shared resources shape livelihoods, governance, and ecological futures.