Mainstreaming Climate Action: J-PAL South Asia at the Urban Planning Climate Labs Convening

Other
Hosted by:
Timeline:
Location:
Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Partners:

Sanjana Gorti, who leads J-PAL South Asia’s Air & Water Labs, joined the workshop to share insights from our work on climate and urban systems across India and beyond.
Sanjana Gorti, Lead J-PAL South Asia’s Air & Water Labs, shared insights from our work on climate and urban systems across India and beyond.
J-PAL South Asia

From 18–20 June 2025, the Jameel C40 Urban Planning Climate Labs hosted a national convening in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, to advance the integration of climate action into India’s urban planning and governance frameworks. The convening brought together city leaders, technical experts, and practitioners from across India and Amman, Jordan, for a series of closed-door peer learning sessions, hands-on workshops, and public dialogues. 

The three-day event focused on embedding climate resilience into routine city functions—planning, budgeting, and service delivery. As Indian cities move from climate planning to on-ground implementation, the convening marked a key step toward institutionalizing city-level climate governance. Participants explored technical challenges, shared best practices, and co-developed actionable solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.

J-PAL South Asia team at the C-40 event in Chennai.

J-PAL South Asia contributed to the technical opening of the event, with team members presenting insights on how evidence from impact evaluations can inform effective climate action in urban areas across India.

The convening also spotlighted Chennai’s newly developed Climate Change Risk Assessment—created in partnership with the Urban Management Centre—as a model for converting risk data into targeted city strategies.