Can Mumbai lead India’s clean energy transition while battling climate risks?

As Mumbai hosted its first Climate Week, the spotlight is on how India’s fast-growing cities will navigate the accelerating energy transition. Renewable power is now cheaper than ever, electric vehicles are expanding globally, and India has emerged as one of the world’s largest generators of wind and solar energy. Yet the shift away from fossil fuels is proving uneven. Regulatory bottlenecks and financing gaps are slowing the pace of change even as electricity demand surges.

That demand is set to climb further with the rapid expansion of AI and data centres, raising fresh questions about energy sources and long-term lock-ins. At the same time, Mumbai faces intensifying heatwaves, heavier rainfall and the long-term threat of sea-level rise, vulnerabilities that sit uneasily alongside large-scale infrastructure projects and rising air pollution levels. Urban planning choices made today, from coastal development to transport electrification, could determine whether the city builds climate resilience or compounds future risk.

Can India’s growth story remain compatible with its climate commitments? Will rising power demand from technology and infrastructure revive fossil fuel dependence, or accelerate clean electrification? Can India’s financial capital turn climate pressure into an opportunity to lead?

Guest: Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group

Host: Vinaya Deshpande Pandit

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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