Is it really possible to fight climate change? | Climate action starts with #climatefinance

Episode 3 | Decoding Impact – Season 4

Host: Rathish Balakrishnan, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Sattva Consulting

Guest: Shilpa Kumar, Managing Director & Head of India, British International Investment

India needs $2.5 trillion by 2030 to reach its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - climate action plans submitted under the Paris Agreement. As the climate crisis worsens, the role of climate finance and especially Development Finance Institutions, in becoming a catalyst for transformative solutions is more important than ever. In this illuminating episode, Shilpa Kumar decodes climate finance: its purpose, gaps, and types of funders. From smart metres to the Mumbai metro, she draws on her own work to offer sharp perspectives on solving for climate change at scale. Through their complementary experiences and viewpoints, Rathish and Shilpa bring context-rich insights on India’s climate landscape, while exchanging stories that show it is possible to combat climate change.

Key Topics Discussed

1. Current state of climate finance (India and internationally), the existing gaps, and the role DFIs play

2. Enabling tailwinds for climate finance

3. Climate interventions in mobility

4. What initiatives are powered under climate finance?

5. The case of smart metres: the importance of last-mile distribution

6. How to manage the perceived risk of climate investment

7. How India can attract more capital for climate action

8. Adaptation & resilience - gaps, stories, and climate financing for it

9. Why MSMEs struggle to go green

10. State capacity at the city level

11. Role of philanthropy in climate finance