India, Sept. 27 -- Over the past two decades, India has rolled out a growing number of plans and policies to tackle the climate crisis, from national missions to state action plans and in more recent years, district and city level strategies. While these efforts mark critical progress in setting targets for low-carbon transitions and climate resilience, their success ultimately depends on execution by public officials at the frontlines. The reality on ground, however, is that the people responsible for delivering India's climate goals are operating in a rapidly shifting landscape, where the demands on their skills and capacities often outpace the support available to them.

Despite India's strong political commitment to addressing the cli...