Political Adaptation

India, which is ‘ground zero ’ for climate change, has decided to reduce its carbon intensity, yet an important element of environmental efficiency neglected by India’s climate plan is the very way India designs itself. India’s recent development has focused not on ‘cities ’ but on ‘metropolitan regions ’ that include suburbs and exurbs. Such low-density growth increases oil consumption for car usage while neglecting the high-density based informal economy that is a source of India’s economic vitality and sustainable innovation. One important contribution of this economy is a vast recycling industry in which discarded materials are reprocessed, reused and returned to the market, effectively saving carbon space. An important way forward would be to integrate the informal sector into planning, by encouraging medium-density growth enabled by comfortable and efficient mass transit, following northern European rather than American planning patterns. Since environmental shifts may be inevitable, pre-emptive political and resource management arrangements must play a central role in India’s climate change adaptation plan