Article
The Indian Express | Rohini Nilekani writes: Vultures, now have more than carrion to feed on — plastic
With the population pressure on land and the unmanageable byproducts of our economic growth, new conflicts emerge. How can we better manage this new tension between humans and animals, between conservation and consumption? A wedding and a suggestion led to an unexpected rendezvous recently. It was an early morning in Bikaner, Rajasthan, when we set […]
Article
Mongabay India | Centring local communities in digital climate technologies
By Tanya Kak (Climate & Environment Portfolio Lead, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies) and Maya Chandrasekaran (Co-Founder, Green Artha) Key Ideas: Digital technologies hold promise for climate action, but their deployment often raises questions of equity, inclusivity, and sustainability. Climate tech must be built from the ground up, integrating local knowledge and social networks to ensure long-term […]
Article
The Climate Finance Report – 2024 | Funding for Conservation, Community Resilience, and Climate Adaptation
By Tanya Kak – Portfolio Lead, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies Farmers for Forests, a Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies (RNP) partner, is working on a mission to increase and protect India’s biodiverse forest cover, while also working on farmers’ livelihoods using a payment for ecosystem services model. While their entry point was forest protection, their community members often […]
Article
IDR | Funders must prioritise climate-sensitive development
By Tanya Kak – Portfolio Lead, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies Today, the conversation on responding to the climate crisis focuses disproportionately on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. This view—held by some wealthier countries, multilaterals, and donors alike—tends to prioritise interventions and technologies based on their ability to avert carbon emissions. While this focus is […]
Podcast
Conversations of Change | Gautam John, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
The ‘Conversation of Change’ series is a video interview series centered around one of the most pertinent crises of our times- Climate change. This is an attempt to synthesize perspectives around climate action, skills, talent and journey of various climate leaders and their role in the climate ecosystem. In this session, we discuss various themes […]
Panel
What lies ahead? Challenges and Opportunities for Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar
This is an edited version of a panel discussion moderated by Rohini Nilekani, hosted by ATREE Bangalore. The panellists included Veena Srinivasan, K Vijayraghavan, Sameer Shisodia and Harini Nagendra, who discussed the role of science and technology in the environmental crisis and sustainable economy in the future. We know by now that all the problems […]
Panel
Rohini Nilekani and Kamaljit Bawa: How to Grow ATREE in the Era of Climate Change
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Professor Kamaljit Bawa at Indiaspora Climate Summit on April 20th. They discussed the urgency of climate science and ATREE’s work. Out of all of the areas that I fund, I have come to the realisation that my environmental portfolio is perhaps the most critical as […]
Interview
Building Trust Through Grantee Feedback: The Story of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with The Centre For Effective Philanthropy. She talks about the importance of feedback, speaking truth to power and trust-based philanthropy. We set up Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies only recently because earlier much of my philanthropy work was done through Arghyam, my foundation for water, or […]
Report
Identifying Climate Adjacency – key findings from four case studies and a synthesis
More often than not, people are aware that their work and actions have climate adjacencies. Farmers agree that the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizer reduces the soil’s ability to remain fertile and makes farming more vulnerable to rainfall changes. Pastoralists are finding it hard to cope with the increased climate stress, partly attributable to growth […]
Others
Message on Earth Day, 2020
It’s true that the future just ain’t what it used to be!Fifty years used to be a long timeline. It isn’t anymore. After all, the Club of Rome was set up to address humanity’s “problematic” 52 years ago. And here we are now in 2020, having heeded very few lessons from that conversation, and maybe […]
Report
Opportunities for Philanthropy: Community Resilience and Climate Action
Today, more than ever, we need ambitious, accelerated climate action that targets the most vulnerable. We need to start from the first mile, where the impact is felt most. We need approaches that enhance community resilience against the health, livelihood, and other shocks arising from climate change related disasters. We hope this paper will inspire […]
Article
Make India Climate Smart: We have big infrastructure plans but forget to review them through a climate change lens
India will invest billions of dollars in public infrastructure over the next few years. Government policies also aim to massively increase private investments across sectors – manufacturing, services and agriculture. Each of these policies and investments will have time horizons spanning five to 50 years. Examples of planned infrastructure include – 100 new airports with […]
Article
Address To India Climate Collaborative
Namaste everyone. I’m so happy at the opportunity to address you however briefly at the beginning of the second convening of the India Climate Collaborative. I think the time could not be more opportune especially when we are witnessing the human tragedy unfolding around us in the wake of the Kerala and Karnataka floods. But […]