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event-category: State Climate Action

Kolkata Climate Fest 2026

Kolkata Climate Fest 2026 is a first-of-its-kind academic climate platform that reimagines a “fest” as a space for dialogue, learning, and collective action. Organised by IISWBM in collaboration with Climate24 and Asar, the two-day event (27–28 February 2026) brings together policymakers, researchers, journalists, CSR leaders, students, and civil society to engage with urgent climate challenges shaping West Bengal and beyond.

The fest features thematic sessions on community-led climate governance, climate and public health, sustainability and net-zero transitions, financial inclusion, environmental reportage, and the intersections of climate with rivers, wildlife, and vulnerable communities. Keynotes, expert panels, and roundtables are complemented by interactive townhalls, exhibitions, and storytelling sessions that centre lived experiences of climate vulnerability, especially among children and grassroots communities.

With participation from academic institutions, think tanks, WHO experts, media professionals, and industry representatives, the event places students and institutions at the heart of climate discourse. By fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration and showcasing practical solutions, Kolkata Climate Fest 2026 aims to mainstream climate conversations, encourage informed action, and build a more inclusive and grounded climate movement in the region.

In essence, it is less a conventional conference and more a living ecosystem of ideas, where science, policy, community knowledge, and youth energy cross-pollinate into actionable climate pathways.

Two Paths, One Circle: A Warli Story of Climate, Community, and Choice 

In the lead-up to Mumbai Climate Week, A Living Wall will take shape as a large-scale Warli mural at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, bringing Maharashtra’s climate realities and local resilience into a shared public space. Rooted in the indigenous Warli art tradition of the state, the mural will weave together stories of changing seasons, disappearing forests, shifting livelihoods, and emerging community-led climate solutions.

Warli art, with its minimal yet deeply expressive visual language, offers a powerful way to translate complex environmental challenges into accessible, human-centred narratives. Through recurring motifs of land, labour, water, and community, the mural will invite viewers to reflect on how climate change is already reshaping everyday life across Maharashtra, while also highlighting the solutions being led from the ground up.

Co-created with Warli artists Dinesh Barap & Akash Bhoir, the wall art is both a celebration of cultural heritage and an act of climate storytelling. By situating the artwork in a highly visited public space, the initiative transforms the wall into a living conversation, one that invites citizens, policymakers, and visitors to pause, observe, and engage with Maharashtra’s climate journey in a way that is local, visual, and deeply human.

The Art & Science of Climate Storytelling: Climate Communicators Happy Hour and Mixer

Communication is a climate solution and a force multiplier for every other climate solution. Alongside policy and programmes, communication plays a critical role in helping people make sense of complex transitions, from energy and food systems to urban resilience, by connecting climate impacts to everyday life. Yet, at a moment when public trust, participation, and uptake matter more than ever, climate communication remains underinvested and undervalued.

The Art & Science of Climate Storytelling, Co-hosted by Asar Social Impact Advisors, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Youth Ki Awaaz, Talk Dharti to Me and Capital Social, BKC, brings together climate communicators from across disciplines to focus on what effective climate communication looks like in practice. The event creates space to exchange ideas across journalism, culture, and the arts, while also bridging key solution areas such as energy transition, food systems transformation, and urban resilience.

Designed as an informal, friendly, and interactive convening, the evening will feature short talks and creative interventions, followed by a mixer that encourages open conversation and connection. By combining light structure with ample room for networking, the event enables participants to share lessons from the field, explore new narratives, and spark collaborations across sectors.

Who this event is for
Climate and sustainability communicators working across energy, urban resilience, food systems, and related sectors; journalists and editors; artists, storytellers, and cultural practitioners.

Purpose and outcomes
The core purpose of this gathering is to elevate climate communication as a critical but often overlooked climate solution, one that enables policy, accelerates programme uptake, and strengthens public participation. The event aims to strengthen climate action by sharing practical, evidence-informed approaches to communication, support behaviour change by building trust and understanding, catalyse cross-sector learning, and grow a stronger ecosystem through meaningful connections and potential collaborations that extend beyond the evening itself.

About Mumbai Climate Week

Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), scheduled for February 17–19, 2026, marks India’s first platform dedicated to accelerating climate action and empowering Mumbai, India, and the Global South to advance transformative, citizen-driven solutions. This landmark initiative reimagines critical climate responses as interconnected, scalable innovations rooted in the complex socio-economic realities of the Global South.

MCW is committed to harnessing the dynamic energy of Mumbai and the wider Indian climate ecosystem to drive meaningful action at both local and Global South scales. By mobilising India’s vibrant network of climate-focused organisations and movements, it spotlights the country’s pioneering work in outcome-driven climate action while helping chart the path forward. Hosted in Mumbai, a growing beacon of climate leadership, the Week amplifies India’s voice as a key driver of climate action across the Global South.

From the Frontlines: Panchayats leading India’s climate charge

We are introducing a special ‘Panchayat’ session at Mumbai Climate Week 2026, a panel inspired by the traditional village council that celebrates collective dialogue and local leadership in climate action. This session builds on the Conference of Panchayats (COP) initiative by Asar and PDAG.

This one-hour session will feature Panchayat leaders from six states, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha, who will share their experiences of advancing climate resilience at the grassroots. Through storytelling and discussion, the session will highlight why effective climate action must centre Panchayats, recognising their critical role in planning, implementing, and scaling climate solutions. The conversation aligns with MCW’s people-centric, solutions-oriented approach to transformative change.

Featured case highlights

  • Bela Gram Panchayat, Bhandara, Maharashtra: Pathway to becoming a Net-Zero Panchayat and recipient of the Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar.
  • Jal Vayu Samarth Panchayats, Jamui, Bihar: Community-led adaptation and resilience initiatives.
  • Panchayat President, Thrissur, Kerala: Solar and BESS-based energy transition in Perinjanam.
  • Mukhiya, Govindpur B, Jharkhand: Leveraging District Mineral Foundation Trust resources for local climate and sustainability initiatives.
  • Panchayat Leader, Kolar, Karnataka: Integrating sustainable agriculture into Panchayat planning.
  • Sarpanch, Koraput, Odisha: Gender-inclusive approaches to local climate solutions.

The session aims to bring grassroots climate leadership into the national spotlight and foster a deeper appreciation of Panchayats as anchors of just and inclusive climate action.

Registrations

Registrations for this session are now full, reflecting the exceptionally high level of interest in this dialogue. If you would still like to attend, you may write to us at kishor@asar.co.in to express your interest. In the event of any cancellations or dropouts, we will be able to accommodate additional participants on the basis of their RSVP.

About Mumbai Climate Week

Mumbai Climate Week (MCW), scheduled for February 17–19, 2026, marks India’s first platform dedicated to accelerating climate action and empowering Mumbai, India, and the Global South to advance transformative, citizen-driven solutions. This landmark initiative reimagines critical climate responses as interconnected, scalable innovations rooted in the complex socio-economic realities of the Global South.

MCW is committed to harnessing the dynamic energy of Mumbai and the wider Indian climate ecosystem to drive meaningful action at both local and Global South scales. By mobilising India’s vibrant network of climate-focused organisations and movements, it spotlights the country’s pioneering work in outcome-driven climate action while helping chart the path forward. Hosted in Mumbai, a growing beacon of climate leadership, the Week amplifies India’s voice as a key driver of climate action across the Global South.

Voices for Wetlands: Launching a Community-led Digital Knowledge Platform

Wetlands are among West Bengal’s most vital yet most vulnerable ecosystems. From the East Kolkata Wetlands and the Sundarbans to countless riverside floodplains, marshes, and village ponds, they support biodiversity, livelihoods, food systems, and climate resilience. Yet, despite their importance, wetlands across the state continue to face growing pressure from unplanned urbanisation, pollution, encroachment, climate change, and complex institutional coordinaton.

Voices for Wetlands emerges as a response to this challenge, grounded in a simple but powerful idea: wetland conservation can only be effective when communities who depend on these ecosystems are active partners. The initiative attempts to integrate community knowledge, bridge gaps between research and practice, and foster dialogue between local custodians, educators, civil society organisations, and policymakers.

As the first milestone of this initiative, The Climate Thinker, in collaboration with Asar Social Impact Advisors, will launch a Digital Wetland Knowledge and Community Platform on 2 February 2026 in Kolkata. Designed as a living, participatory space, the platform will document wetlands across West Bengal through maps, stories, photographs, and field insights; archive community knowledge and traditional practices; share research and policy-relevant resources in accessible formats; and connect diverse stakeholders working on wetland conservation.

The launch event is structured as a listening and dialogue-oriented gathering rather than a ceremonial programme. It will bring together community representatives from wetland- dependent regions, educators, researchers, civil society actors, and government officials. The programme will feature reflections from community members, perspectives from educators and researchers, and a panel discussion focused on aligning ecological conservation with social and economic realities.

This event hopes to initiate a sustained engagement process aimed at advancing inclusive, evidence-informed, and conflict-sensitive approaches to wetland conservation in West Bengal.

From Evidence to Action: MSME Decarbonization Pathways – A Working Consultation

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) form the backbone of West Bengal’s industrial economy, anchoring employment, exports, and local livelihoods. Micro-enterprises alone account for nearly 99% of the state’s MSMEs, often operating in dense, geographically concentrated clusters that share skills, supply chains, and production ecosystems. While these clusters sustain economic activity and preserve industrial and artisanal heritage, they also face rising energy costs, outdated technologies, and growing exposure to climate and market risks.

To address these challenges, Asar Social Impact Advisors, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), undertook an energy assessment across selected MSME micro-clusters in Howrah and South 24 Parganas. The study covered galvanising, engineering, wire drawing, and the heritage silver filigree cluster, assessing 15 representative units to understand energy use patterns, identify inefficiencies, and highlight practical decarbonisation pathways.

The assessment brought to light common structural and operational challenges that shape energy use across these micro-clusters, underscoring the need for context-specific, financially viable solutions. It also highlighted the importance of building awareness, technical capacity, and access to enabling support systems so that micro-enterprises can gradually transition towards cleaner and more efficient production practices.

By focusing on micro-clusters as units of action, the initiative highlights how decentralised energy assessments can unlock scale, peer learning, and access to finance and government schemes. More importantly, it shows that MSME decarbonisation is not just a climate imperative—it is a pathway to improved productivity, resilience, and long-term competitiveness for West Bengal’s small industries.

First Division-level Conference of Panchayats (COP) in Maharashtra in Nagpur

We are bringing together grassroots leaders, government officials, and civil society at the Chitnavis Centre, Nagpur on 20th August 2025, for the inaugural Conference of Panchayats (COP) focused on climate action in Eastern Vidarbha. Against the backdrop of Maharashtra’s mounting climate crises – droughts, water stress, crop losses, and shifting forest landscapes – this one-day gathering aims to forefront Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as champions of local resilience.

The Nagpur COP is being organised by Asar in collaboration with the State Climate Action Cell (Environment & Climate Change Department, Government of Maharashtra), Waatavaran Foundation, YUVA Rural Association (YRA), and Policy Development Advisory Group (PDAG).  

The event will feature interactive sessions and collaborative group work, enabling Sarpanches and Panchayat representatives from over 50 villages in Nagpur, Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Wardha, and Gadchiroli to co-create pathways to initiate and sustain conversations and action on climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, forestry, and livelihoods in their respective districts and blocks. 

With special addresses from state and district leaders, and facilitators from YRA, Waatavaran, PDAG, and Asar, this event promises meaningful exchange, practical solutions, and momentum for future district-level convenings.

Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on Climate-Resilient and People-Centric Development in the Himalayan and Sub-Himalayan Region of West Bengal

Asar in collaboration with its local partner, Praajak Development Society, in support from University of North Bengal, is organising a Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on Climate-Resilient and People-Centric Development in the Himalayan and Sub-Himalayan Region of West Bengal. 

Given the constantly emerging climate induced vulnerabilities, the Eastern Himalayan Region and the Terai are at the immense grip of the emerging threats including altered rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, biodiversity loss, and increasing frequency of landslides and flash floods, particularly in the fragile Himalayan ecology. Traditional livelihoods such as tea cultivation, forest-based and agricultural work, and mandarin orange farming are increasingly under stress. Considering such a situation, it becomes important to focus on building a climate-resilience and climate-adaptabile model in this region, as much as it is important to look at the net-zero emissions target. 

This regional consultation is intended to initiate a discourse around climate-adaptive and people-centric alternative economy and livelihood potential for this region. 

This pivotal consultation aims to bring together a diverse set of stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, policymakers and community leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue which will be focused around following key themes

  • Localised economic diversification, strengthening sectors like tea, mandarin orange etc while promoting complementary and climate-resilient livelihood opportunities; 
  • Community-driven pathways for climate-resilient livelihoods;
  • Policies and collaborations that ensure a just, inclusive and ecologically sustainable transition 

Report Launch | Pathways of Transition: Climate Resilience and Energy Efficiency in Agriculture (CREEA) – Learnings from District-Level Consultative Interdepartmental Workshops, Kerala

On 16 July 2025, we launched a report that brings together months of field-level insights and institutional collaboration: Pathways of Transition: Climate Resilience and Energy Efficiency in Agriculture (CREEA) – Learnings from District-Level Consultative Interdepartmental Workshops, Kerala

The report captures key takeaways from the CREEA district workshops held between July 2023 and January 2024, conducted with the guidance and support of the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare and the Energy Management Centre (EMC), Kerala.

The launch event saw participation from over 100 attendees, including senior officials from across departments—Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Soil Survey, Groundwater, LSGD, MGNREGS, ANERT, NABARD, Kudumbashree, Kerala Agricultural University, and others.

We were honoured to have:
Shri P. Prasad, Hon. Minister for Agriculture
Shri K. Krishnankutty, Hon. Minister for Electricity
Dr. Shekhar Kuriakose, Chief Resilience Officer, Kerala State Climate Change Adaptation Mission
Dr. R. Harikumar, Director, EMC-Kerala, who delivered the welcome address.

What does the report offer?

  • Hyper-local documentation of climate impacts and vulnerabilities across Kerala
  • Introduction to the CREEA framework & principles for resilience and energy efficiency in agriculture
  • Insights from the consultation process and multi-departmental structure of district-level CREEA workshops
  • Field stories and climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) initiatives already underway
  • A set of flagship projects aligned with five key priority areas:
    1️⃣ Integration and Convergence
    2️⃣ Risk and Emergency Planning
    3️⃣ Climate-Resilient Farming Systems
    4️⃣ Net-Zero and Energy-Efficient Agriculture
    5️⃣ Capacity Building and Skill Development

At the heart of this work is a simple but powerful belief: Tackling the impacts of climate change in agriculture isn’t just about new technologies—it’s about listening, learning, and acting together.

We hope this report helps catalyse that journey—through multi-stakeholder and inter-departmental consultation, convergence, and collective ownership.

How can state-level collaboration shape resilient food systems in your region?

Conclave on Sustainable Transition for a Climate Resilient MH

Asar recently organised a co-creation conclave on ‘Sustainable Transition for a Climate Resilient Maharashtra’. The conclave brought together 25+ civil society and community-based organisations from across the state to lay the foundation for a common understanding of the just transition process. 

Mr Abhijit Ghorpade, Director of the State Climate Action Cell (Govt of Maharashtra) delivered the keynote address highlighting the significance of including community-level stakeholders in steering the transition.

Special remarks and panel discussions with experts from leading policy think tanks, academia, and grassroots organisations helped introduce, simplify and contextualise the concept of Just Transition to the participating organisations through the lenses of labour, migration, gender, and livelihoods.

Plenary sessions with the participating organisations included deliberations on the current understanding of climate resilience and just transition, the need for information and knowledge dissemination about risks and opportunities from the transition, the need for a regional focus within the state, opportunities across sectors for Maharashtra, and approaches for sustained engagement between local collaborators.

The meeting highlighted the need for more grassroots engagement on critical climate-related issues especially in villages and vulnerable urban clusters. It is an important step towards fostering greater local and state-wide multi-stakeholder collaborations to build climate resilience.