Environmental Sustainability - Phase XI

Jan 2026 - Dec 2026

Tamil Nadu has emerged as a key site for climate action in India, with multiple institutions, policies, and programmes addressing mitigation, adaptation, and renewable energy transitions. However, climate action on the ground continues to be constrained by uneven institutional readiness, fragmented coordination across departments, and limited availability of credible, field-based evidence to inform planning and implementation. At the same time, decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions are expanding across the state, yet their social, livelihood, and access impacts remain poorly documented, weakening policy design and financing frameworks. Public engagement on climate issues also remains episodic, limiting citizen participation and accountability. This project responds to these interconnected gaps by strengthening institutional preparedness, grounding climate action in lived experience and evidence, and enabling sustained public engagement to support more coherent and inclusive climate governance in Tamil Nadu.

The project will adopt a systems-oriented, evidence-led approach that will integrate institutional assessment, field research, and public engagement. Institutional readiness for climate action will be assessed across key state departments to identify coordination gaps, capacity needs, and opportunities for alignment. In parallel, field-based case studies will document the socio-economic impacts of decentralised renewable energy adoption, generating grounded evidence on access, outcomes, and barriers faced by households and micro-enterprises. These findings will be synthesised into actionable policy, financing, and communication insights. Public engagement will be strengthened through Climate Action Month initiatives and a state-level conference, while a structured climate communication strategy, supported by a monitoring and evaluation framework, will enable consistent, evidence-informed climate messaging and coordination across institutions.

The project will contribute to the following outcomes:

Strengthened institutional readiness and coordination for climate action across key Tamil Nadu government departments.

Robust, field-based evidence on decentralised renewable energy access and impacts that will inform climate, energy, and financing policies.

Improved policy coherence and implementation clarity through actionable, evidence-driven recommendations.

Enhanced public awareness and participation in climate action through sustained engagement platforms.

A stronger foundation for inclusive and accountable climate governance, grounded in lived experience and aligned with long-term state climate priorities.