Context:

• In July 2025, Brazil hosted the Global Conference on Climate and Health, where representatives from 90 countries collectively drafted the Belém Health Action Plan. This plan, scheduled for launch at COP30, will shape the global agenda for addressing the intersection of climate and health. However, India’s absence from official representation at the conference marked a significant missed opportunity. It could have showcased its unique developmental model and emerged as a key player in guiding the implementation of the Belém Plan.
• This analysis explores how India’s welfare schemes provide important lessons for harmonizing climate and health priorities. It also examines the institutional hurdles to intersectoral governance and stresses the need for a unified, society-wide response.

India’s Welfare Schemes: A Roadmap for Climate-Health Integration

·       India’s broad-based welfare programs reveal how policies not originally crafted as climate interventions can generate substantial co-benefits for both public health and the environment. They serve as evidence of how integration, strong leadership, and community involvement can collectively advance climate-health objectives.

·       One prominent example is the PM POSHAN scheme, which serves 11 crore children across 11 lakh schools. It represents a convergence of health, education, agriculture, and food procurement systems. By encouraging the use of traditional grains like millets, the scheme not only combats malnutrition but also supports climate-resilient food production systems.

·       Similarly, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan improved sanitation, public health, and human dignity while simultaneously promoting environmental sustainability. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) contributed to ecosystem restoration through rural infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) played a key role in reducing household air pollution and emissions by facilitating the adoption of clean cooking fuels.

Essential Takeaways for Climate-Health Convergence

·       The experience of India’s welfare initiatives offers key insights into how health and climate goals can be merged effectively. Political leadership has proven vital—schemes like Swachh Bharat and PMUY received direct backing from the Prime Minister, which enabled smooth inter-ministerial coordination and galvanized public support. Framing climate change as an immediate health crisis could help generate similar political momentum.

·       Community engagement was another cornerstone of these initiatives. By leveraging cultural symbols and encouraging grassroots participation, the programs cultivated a sense of ownership and connection. This demonstrates that climate initiatives must also be embedded in the cultural and societal values linked to health and well-being.

·       Furthermore, reinforcing existing institutional frameworks—such as the ASHA network, self-help groups, municipal corporations, and panchayats—can greatly enhance the credibility and sustainability of such efforts. These institutions form the backbone of localized implementation and are essential for long-term success.

Barriers to Effective Climate-Health Governance

·       While these welfare programs offer replicable lessons, their execution reveals significant structural and institutional limitations. Departmental silos often impede the effectiveness of cross-cutting policies. For example, PMUY continues to face challenges with LPG refill affordability, partly because the commercial priorities of oil marketing companies outweigh the needs of beneficiaries.

·       In addition, persistent social and cultural barriers limit equitable access to resources and services. Without continuous and targeted support mechanisms, even well-designed policies struggle to achieve inclusive outcomes.

Foundational Pillars for a Health-Centric Climate Governance Model

A successful framework for integrated climate-health action must rest on three key pillars:

1. Strategic Prioritisation: Political discourse should highlight the immediate health benefits of climate actions rather than focusing solely on long-term environmental risks. PMUY’s emphasis on women’s empowerment through clean cooking is a case in point.
2. Procedural Integration: Health impact assessments should become compulsory across all climate-relevant sectors—ranging from energy and agriculture to transport and urban development. This would mirror the existing environmental clearance processes and embed health considerations in all development planning.
3. Participatory Implementation: Communities are more likely to connect with and support policies framed in terms of tangible health outcomes, such as cleaner air or safer drinking water, rather than abstract carbon targets. Local health workers, being deeply embedded within communities, can act as persuasive advocates by linking climate actions to everyday health improvements.

India’s Critical Juncture: Choosing an Integrated Path Forward

·       India now stands at a crossroads. It can either continue addressing climate change and public health in isolation, which often yields limited results, or it can adopt a bold, intersectoral approach that treats these two challenges as interconnected and mutually reinforcing. By drawing from its extensive welfare policy experience and re-engaging with global platforms, India has the potential to lead the creation of a transformative climate-health governance framework.

·       The stakes are extraordinarily high. Inaction will incur significant costs to public health, ecological stability, and social equity. Conversely, a coordinated and inclusive approach holds the promise of delivering sustainable and far-reaching impacts—not just domestically, but on the global stage.

Conclusion

India must move decisively towards an integrated model of climate-health governance. This model should build upon its existing welfare frameworks, mobilize political leadership, and foster active community engagement. The consequences of delay or fragmented action are severe, but a united response offers the chance for transformative progress and meaningful global leadership.