How Evaluation Can Support Climate Action and a Just Transition

The Climate Hazard and Infrastructure Risk Assessment in India provides critical insights into how climate change is intensifying the risks to essential infrastructure across the country. Using a combination of spatial analysis, historical climate data, and future climate projections, the assessment identifies key hazards such as floods, extreme heat, cyclones, and droughts, and evaluates how these hazards threaten critical public infrastructure such as roads, healthcare facilities, schools, and water systems. By mapping the exposure and vulnerability of infrastructure assets, the study highlights both regional disparities and systemic weaknesses in climate resilience. It also identifies infrastructure that, if compromised, could significantly disrupt livelihoods, service delivery, and economic activity.

Again, the assessment emphasizes the importance of integrating climate risk considerations into infrastructure planning and policy-making. It reveals that many existing assets were not designed with future climate scenarios in mind, making them increasingly vulnerable as climate extremes become more frequent and severe. The insights from this study are being used to guide targeted investments, prioritize adaptive infrastructure upgrades, and inform disaster risk reduction strategies at both national and sub-national levels. In doing so, the assessment serves as a model for climate-informed development, helping India and other climate-vulnerable nations safeguard critical infrastructure and enhance long-term resilience.