Gaon to globe: Grassroots leaders exchange ideas with global experts at Mumbai Climate Week

Mumbai: Climate action begins at the grassroots level, and when the panchayat takes responsibility and people participate, change becomes real, a village council leader from Maharashtra's Bhandara said.

The three-day 'Mumbai Climate Week', which concluded on February 19, not only witnessed the participation of top global leaders and politicians but also brought grassroots and panchayat leaders to the dais.

Grassroots leaders from six states participated in the inaugural Climate Week, with an aim to demonstrate that effective climate solutions often emerge from village councils, and not conference rooms alone.

Speaking to PTI Videos, the elected chief of Bela village in Maharashtra's Bhandara, Sharada Gaydhane, emphasised that real climate action begins in the "decisions we make and the habits we change".

She stated that when the village council steps up and the community stands together, progress doesn't remain only an idea but becomes a shared achievement.

"Climate change is not a distant threat for us, it is already shaping our everyday realities. It influences our livelihoods, our well-being, and the future of our children. As a community leader, I have a duty to respond with urgency and responsibility," she said.

In nearly 10 years, the Bela village council witnessed multiple climate action initiatives like marking festivals, weddings or childbirth by planting a sapling, shifting from 'chulhas' to LPG gas cylinders, and solar panels over Anganwadi and panchayat offices.

Gaydhane stated that the village began waste segregation at every doorstep, and also vowed to reject single-use plastics.

"My efforts were initially mocked and criticised because it is difficult for rural residents to understand the real impacts of climate change. However, I carried on my work, imposed fines on those who refused to segregate waste or reject single-use plastic," Gaydhane added.

At the Climate Week, representatives from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha shared firsthand accounts of building climate resilience, which includes enabling solar-powered energy transitions to integrating sustainable agriculture into panchayat planning.

Ramvriksh Murmu, chief of the Siyari village council in Jharkhand's Bokaro, shared how his village confronted frequent power cuts that regularly plunged homes into darkness and disrupted children's education.

Discussing how the village found local solutions for the issue without relying on external support, Murmu said that 72 solar street lights were gradually installed in the region with the support of CSR funds.

"Through ongoing dialogues at the Conference of Panchayats, we began to see that our frequent power cuts were not isolated inconveniences, but part of a wider climate challenge. Instead of waiting for external fixes, we chose to act, and gradually installed 72 solar street lights to ensure that children could study safely after dark," he said.

The Conference of Panchayats (CoP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that empowers grassroots Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to lead local climate action and sustainable development.

Siyari village council also expanded solar adoption to schools and community buildings, and introduced a solar-powered lift irrigation system at the main pond - a step that reduced reliance on erratic grid supply and expensive diesel.

Murmu added that the panchayat also mobilised villagers under the Birsa Mango Horticulture Mission, planting 2,880 mango saplings along with 800 other fruit and shade trees, while strengthening forest-based livelihoods.

He noted that the Gram Panchayat Help Desk played a key role in guiding the village council towards the right schemes and technical support to make these interventions possible.

Another elected representative from Koraput in Odisha, Jayanti Nayak, highlighted how a collective of indigenous women documented land use and identified over 10 hectares of unused common land for restoration.

The initiative was later included in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan and funds were mobilised to generate local employment.

"The community has since planted 16,000 saplings, including mango, jackfruit, tamarind, bamboo, and amla, linking ecosystem restoration with livelihoods and long-term resilience," Nayak said.

In Perinjanam village of Kerala's Thrissur, a community awareness programme gradually turned into a space for open discussion, where residents shared concerns and ideas, guiding the panchayat's shift toward solar power in eight years.

Sachith K K, former president of Perinjanam village council, underscored that after years of sustained efforts, 850 households are rooftop solar prosumers, cutting electricity bills by up to 80 per cent and collectively reducing emissions at scale.

Arindam Banerjee, co-founder of Policy and Development Advisory Group -- a New Delhi-based social impact organisation and consulting firm -- told PTI that the CoP was conceived as an alternative to the UN Conference of the Parties with an idea to strengthen local governance systems, and explore ways to enhance the capacity of local self-government institutions to address emerging climate risks.

"It focuses on developing local, evidence-based solutions and implementing long-term climate initiatives, anchored within the local socio-economic and climate realities. We hope that this alternate CoP will help drive a uniform nationwide local climate action platform by 2028 with the UN CoP-33 that is proposed to be held in India," Banerjee said.

Emphasising the importance of grassroots climate action at 'Mumbai Climate Week', Vinuta Gopal, CEO of Association for Socially Applicable Research, highlighted that effective climate solutions require active participation and cooperation from communities, not just top-down policies.

"Local initiatives, citizen engagement, and collaborative efforts are essential to tackle climate challenges and achieve sustainable outcomes. Experts say such approaches strengthen resilience, promote accountability, and ensure long-term environmental impact," Gopal told PTI.

She stressed that the growing recognition of collective action at the community level is crucial for meaningful climate progress, complementing governmental and corporate efforts in mitigating climate change and safeguarding future generations.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.