As climate impacts intensify, the need for infrastructure that can withstand extreme weather conditions is more urgent than ever. Rethinking climate-resilient infrastructure is essential to safeguard communities, support economic stability, and achieve long-term sustainability goals. This session will explore strategies to accelerate the development climate-resilient infrastructure, crucial for adapting to increasing climate risks. The discussion will highlight emerging technologies that can strengthen infrastructure resilience, particularly in vulnerable regions, along with exploring innovative financing and policy frameworks that shall enable scaling up of inclusive, and sustainable solutions.

Chair: Smt. Leena Nandan, IAS (retd.) Officer, Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India

Panellists:

• Dr. Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research & Action for development (IRADe)
• Mr. Amir Bazaz, Associate Dean – School of Environment and Sustainability; School of Systems and Infrastructure Head - Infrastructure and Climate
• Dr Kalachand Sain, Advisor, DST CoE for Climate Information, IIT Delhi
• Ms Sireesha Chandana, Vice President, Learning and Development & Sustainability, The Indian Hotels Company Limited
• Mr. P.K. Das, Principal Architect, P.K.D.A. Architects