The climate leadership void – India’s moment to lead

As the climate crisis accelerates, traditional leadership from the West is wavering. The United States, once a champion of global climate initiatives, has oscillated between engagement and retreat, undermining its credibility. Inconsistent policy shifts between administrations have eroded trust in U.S. commitments, and many now believe enduring leadership must come from elsewhere. Europe continues to push forward on climate action, but no single nation or bloc has fully filled the gap. This has opened a leadership vacuum on the world stage – and a historic opportunity for India and its Asian neighbours to step up.

India is uniquely positioned to lead. As both a major emerging economy and the voice for vulnerable developing nations, India straddles two worlds. It has the economic heft and technological capacity to influence global trends, and the moral authority to speak for billions who are hit hardest by climate impacts. With 1.4 billion people – many facing extreme heat, floods, and droughts – India knows that climate change is not an abstract future threat but a daily reality. When India advocates for ambitious climate action, it does so on behalf of a vast portion of humanity. Crucially, India’s call carries credibility because it comes from lived experience, not ivory-tower rhetoric. This credibility was evident when India took initiative in recent years: setting bold renewable energy targets, dramatically scaling up solar and wind capacity, and co-founding the International Solar Alliance to promote solar power globally. Such actions signal that India can translate climate talk into concrete progress.

Now, with the traditional climate leaders faltering, India’s moment has arrived – not just to lead the Global South, but to help lead the world in confronting the climate emergency. This leadership, however, cannot be top-down from governments alone. It must be co-created with civil society and forward-looking funders. Indian philanthropists, businesses, and Asian networks of social entrepreneurs are pivotal to this transition. They can move faster than governments, pilot innovative solutions on the ground, and build cross-border collaborations unfettered by politics. By stepping into the breach, these actors can demonstrate what true climate leadership looks like: collaborative, inclusive, and grounded in both urgency and hope. And in doing so, they can show that India’s emerging climate leadership is not a break with its past, but rather a fulfilment of a responsibility deeply rooted in its civilizational ethos.

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Climate Leadership

A memorial in Khejarli, Rajasthan honours the 363 Bishnoi villagers who sacrificed their lives in 1730 to protect khejri trees – an act of environmental devotion centuries ahead of modern conservation movements. Indian civilization’s commitment to living in harmony with nature runs deep, forming a legacy of environmental ethos written across millennia. In the ancient Rig Veda, the concept of Ṛta describes a cosmic natural order in which the stability of seasons and the moral actions of humans are inseparable – disturbing nature’s balance was not just an ecological error but a transgression against the truth of the universe. The Atharva Veda’s Prithvi Sukta offers 63 verses venerating Earth as a mother, urging humans to tread gently and linking the prosperity of people to the vitality of forests, rivers, and mountains. Texts like the Aranyakas (forest treatises) treat the wilderness as a teacher rather than a foe to be subdued. The philosophy of the Panch Mahābhūta – the five great elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space) – taught that imbalance in any element reverberates through all, a worldview uncannily mirrored by today’s scientific understanding of ecological interdependence and planetary boundaries. Traditional sciences like Ayurveda and practices like yoga, temple architecture, and vastu shastra were all, in their own ways, aimed at aligning human living with natural laws and elemental balance. In essence, ancient Indian wisdom long recognized what modern climate science confirms: humanity thrives only when it respects the rhythms of nature.

This ethos was not just theoretical – it translated into codes of conduct and acts of courage. The Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, for instance, has upheld a conservationist creed since the 15th century that forbids cutting green trees or killing wild animals. In 1730, that principle was tested when a local ruler’s men came to fell sacred khejri trees. Led by a woman named Amrita Devi, Bishnoi villagers clung to the trees in protest; the soldiers cut them down along with the people embracing them. In total, 363 Bishnois were massacred protecting the forest, a martyrdom commemorated by the monument at Khejarli. Their sacrifice, which ultimately forced the ruler to halt the logging, stands as one of the earliest environmental movements in history – a precursor to the 20th-century tree-hugging Chipko movement.

Even India’s statecraft reflected environmental consciousness: Kautilya’s Arthashastra (circa 300 BCE) instructed kings to designate protected forests, establish animal sanctuaries, and punish those who violated environmental laws. Good governance was tied to stewardship of natural resources. Fast forward to the 1970s, and we see the same cultural currents in the Chipko Andolan, where Himalayan villagers (especially women) literally hugged trees to prevent commercial loggers from felling them. Chipko’s non-violent resistance in Uttarakhand sparked global awareness and policy change, leading to a ban on tree felling in Himalayan forests. From Vedic hymns to Bishnoi martyrdom to Chipko protests, India’s environmental consciousness has been continuously lived, defended, and renewed. Leading the world in climate action, in many ways, would be less a new role for India than the resumption of a very old one.

This deep well of civilizational wisdom provides a powerful foundation for modern climate leadership. Concepts like “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – “the world is one family” – encapsulate a holistic worldview recognizing the interconnectedness of all life. Many Asian traditions, not just in India, regard Earth as mother and forests and rivers as sacred entities. Such cultural DNA means that calls for sustainability are not foreign or abstract; they resonate with a familiar ethic of reverence for nature. Indeed, contemporary climate solutions often echo traditional knowledge. Indigenous and local communities across Asia have, for generations, practiced what we now term “sustainability”: farming in tune with rainfall patterns, preserving seed diversity, protecting watersheds, and treating animals with compassion. Philanthropy advisors in the region note that when climate initiatives honour local wisdom and heritage, they gain legitimacy and buy-in from communities, making them far more effective. In other words, embracing our ancient wisdom can supercharge modern climate action by grounding it in values people instinctively understand.

We have tangible proof of how combining traditional knowledge with modern resources can yield remarkable results. In the eastern state of Odisha, India, for example, a partnership of local NGOs, villagers, government agencies, and corporate philanthropies funded the restoration of coastal mangrove forests. Relying on both scientific guidance and indigenous know-how, they planted native mangrove species along cyclone-prone shores. The result was striking: when severe Cyclone Fani struck in 2019, communities with restored mangrove belts suffered far less damage. Villagers reported that the mangroves absorbed the storm’s fury and protected inland homes and roads, validating that “green walls” can be as life-saving as concrete seawalls. This nature-based solution, rooted in traditional ecological understanding of mangroves’ protective value, delivered measurable impact – it saved lives and livelihoods during a climate disaster. What’s more, it restored fisheries, sequestered carbon, and provided other co-benefits, showing that soft solutions can often outperform hard infrastructure. Modern climate science might express this in terms of ecosystem services and carbon sinks, but local communities will tell you it’s just common sense that healthy mangroves = safer villages. Across India, similar stories abound: farmers reviving centuries-old water harvesting systems (like Rajasthan’s johads and Punjab’s baolis) to recharge groundwater and mitigate droughts; tribal communities in the Northeast sustainably managing forests through sacred groves and collective rules; fisherfolk drawing on traditional fishery seasons to avoid overharvesting. These aren’t quaint anecdotes – they are proven models of resilience and low-carbon living that the world can learn from.

By championing such approaches on the global stage, India can inject much-needed perspective into international climate discourse: namely, that technology and finance alone will not save us without humility, respect for nature, and the inclusion of those voices who have long safeguarded our lands and waters. This is where philanthropy and social innovation come in. Forward-looking funders should see enormous value in fusing ancient wisdom with modern innovation. Imagine climate programs that empower village elders alongside young tech entrepreneurs – blending satellite imagery and AI with indigenous weather forecasting and agro-ecological knowledge. Or projects that deploy cutting-edge solar micro-grids in remote areas while also reviving the ethic of conservation ingrained in those communities. Such initiatives would be both cutting-edge and deeply rooted, increasing their chances of success. India can lead by example in modelling this holistic approach. It can show that modern climate leadership may actually mean reconnecting with age-old wisdom about living in balance with nature, enhanced by new tools and ideas. This kind of East-meets-West, old-meets-new leadership is exactly what our warming world needs now – a development path that is innovative and sustainable, yet also ethical and culturally resonant.

Asia’s Untapped Climate Philanthropy Potential

Stepping into global climate leadership will require not just cultural vision but resources on an unprecedented scale. Asia, home to 60% of the world’s population and responsible for over 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions, must also mobilize the financial muscle to fund climate solutions. Yet at present, climate and environmental philanthropy in Asia is far below what the crisis demands. The funding gap is stark: less than 2% of global philanthropic giving is directed toward climate change or environmental issues, and only about 12% of that small slice comes from Asia. In other words, the regions bearing the brunt of climate impacts are receiving only a trickle of philanthropic support in return. This is alarmingly low given that, for instance, 99 of the 100 cities worldwide most vulnerable to environmental risks are in Asia (with 80% of them in India or China). Asia’s communities are on the frontlines of climate change – from low-lying Bangladesh to typhoon-struck Philippines – but philanthropic capital has yet to flow in proportion to this vulnerability.

Zooming in on India illustrates the mismatch between needs and funding. India faces huge climate adaptation and mitigation costs in the coming decades, but philanthropy has only begun to engage. Currently, a mere 0.5% of domestic philanthropic funding in India is climate-focused, covering just around 10% of the country’s identified climate finance needs. The vast majority of charitable giving still goes toward traditional areas like education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation. These are of course important, but climate change threatens to undo progress in all those areas if left unaddressed. The fact that virtually 99.5% of philanthropy overlooks climate is unsustainable – and it represents a huge opportunity for impact. If even one or two percent more of India’s philanthropic budget were channelled into climate action, it could make an enormous difference in building resilience and cutting emissions, given the scale of funds in play.

The good news is that Asia has the means to do much more, and an awakening is underway among many of its wealth-holders. Asia is creating billionaires faster than any region, and many of the world’s largest family-owned companies (and their charitable foundations) are based here. A new generation of Asian philanthropists and business leaders is looking to make a legacy-defining impact. They are increasingly aware that climate action offers exactly that opportunity – a chance to protect their communities, ensure long-term economic stability, and literally help save the planet. Unlike some of their predecessors, these now-gen and next-gen philanthropists see climate change not as a distant or purely scientific issue, but as a pressing challenge intertwined with humanitarian and development goals. They have witnessed firsthand how floods can wipe out years of poverty-reduction efforts, or how air pollution and extreme heat are affecting public health in their cities. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call on how fragile our systems can be, and climate change presents an even larger systemic risk.

However, significant barriers remain. Philanthropists often mention that they find climate issues complex and technical, or they aren’t sure where to start in a domain that can seem overwhelming. Traditionally, it has been “easier” to donate to causes with familiar models – a school, a hospital, a scholarship fund – than to conceptualize giving for an amorphous problem like climate change. Moreover, a lot of climate solutions (renewable energy infrastructure, policy advocacy, research) don’t fit the classic charity mould. This is why building knowledge and capacity is so important. Encouragingly, some leading institutions are already moving in this direction. We are seeing early moves by prominent foundations and corporate CSR programs in India and across Asia to adopt a climate lens on their giving. For example, some healthcare-focused philanthropies have started funding solar power for rural clinics and cold-chains (recognizing that clean energy access strengthens healthcare). Foundations focused on livelihoods and agriculture are supporting programs in climate-smart farming and water conservation. There’s also growing interest in areas like clean air, where donors concerned with urban health fund initiatives to curb pollution. These are signs that philanthropists are beginning to connect the dots – understanding that whatever their primary mission, adding a climate component amplifies and protects their impact.

Still, the overall level of climate-focused giving in Asia needs a dramatic boost. Less than 2% of global philanthropy for climate is simply not enough to meet a challenge of this magnitude. To change this, we must normalize climate action as integral to philanthropy in Asia. A shift in mindset is required: donors should see that funding a transition to clean energy or supporting mangrove planting is not a tangent from their usual giving, but rather a high-leverage way to achieve the outcomes they care about – be it saving lives, improving public welfare, or ensuring social stability. It’s also an area where their money can be catalytic. Public budgets and international aid alone cannot finance all the needed changes in energy, infrastructure, and adaptation, especially in developing Asia. Philanthropy can fill vital gaps: it can take risks on new solutions, reach communities that government programs overlook, and act faster when emergencies hit.

Asia’s philanthropists and family offices are increasingly discussing these ideas in their networks, and initiatives are emerging to help them act. For instance, the Asia Philanthropy Circle and AVPN (Asian Venture Philanthropy Network) have both launched efforts to encourage more giving to climate and to share best practices. Major convenings like the Philanthropy Asia Summit are now putting climate and nature on the main agenda, indicating a sea change in priorities. The opportunity before us is clear: if Asian philanthropic contributions to climate were to double or triple in the next five years, it could transform not just Asia’s trajectory but the world’s. We could see hundreds of millions of additional dollars flowing into renewable energy access for the poor, sustainable agriculture, reforestation, clean cooling solutions for heat-stressed cities, and more. Given Asia’s economic rise, these sums are within reach. The challenge is rallying the will and forging the platforms to deploy this capital effectively. In summary, Asia’s untapped climate philanthropy potential is enormous – unlocking it will be key to turning Asian countries’ climate ambitions into reality and enabling India and its neighbours to lead by example.

Homegrown Solutions Worth Scaling

The path to a climate-resilient future is already being illuminated by homegrown initiatives across India and Asia. These examples – driven by local leaders and supported by forward-thinking funders – provide proof of concept for the region’s climate leadership. They also offer practical models that can be scaled up with more resources. Rather than waiting for solutions to trickle down from elsewhere, Asia can scale up what’s already working on the ground. Here are a few standout case studies and what they teach us:

Dasra’s Rebuild India Fund (India): Founded in 1999, Dasra began as one of India’s first venture philanthropy funds and has since mobilized over $350 million for social causes. Over time, Dasra learned that top-down grant making alone isn’t enough; the most innovative solutions often come from proximate leaders – grassroots changemakers who deeply understand their community’s needs. After witnessing how local NGOs were frontline heroes during COVID-19, Dasra shifted its approach to back these smaller organizations with flexible support. In March 2022, during its annual philanthropy week, Dasra launched the Rebuild India Fund, a $50 million initiative committed to five years of flexible funding for community-based nonprofits. This fund pools contributions from multiple philanthropists to provide long-term, trust-based support to dozens of high-impact grassroots NGOs across India. The idea is to “rebuild” and strengthen civil society from the ground up so communities are more resilient to any crisis – be it a pandemic, a flood, or a heatwave. Early indications are promising: the Rebuild India Fund has enabled local organizations to expand essential services, experiment with climate-adaptive programs, and collaborate rather than compete for funding.

Dasra also pioneered collaborative giving circles that bring donors together to learn and co-fund solutions. For example, a group of Indian business leaders formed a Giving Circle through Dasra to support adolescent girls’ education; another circle pooled funds for urban sanitation projects. These collaboratives showed that when donors join forces, they can unlock not only more money but greater credibility and knowledge-sharing. Applying this model to climate action could be game-changing. Imagine a Climate Action Giving Circle where a dozen of India’s prominent philanthropists each pledge funds, collectively creating a sizable corpus to invest in clean energy for rural areas or climate education or urban greening initiatives. The group would meet regularly to evaluate projects, learn from experts, and keep each other committed. Such a network effect can galvanize action; peer influence among Asia’s wealthy can turn climate philanthropy from a niche interest into a mainstream priority. The lesson from Dasra is clear: investing in grassroots leadership and practicing collaborative philanthropy are force multipliers. They enable solutions that are community-informed and culturally appropriate, and they encourage the elite to step out of their comfort zone and tackle issues (like climate) that require collective effort.

AVPN’s Climate Action Platform (Asia Regional): The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) is the largest network of social investors in Asia, with over 600 members including foundations, family offices, and corporations. Recognizing the urgency of climate change, AVPN launched a dedicated Climate Action Platform to help its members integrate a climate lens into their work. This has involved publishing guides on climate philanthropy, hosting workshops to demystify technical issues, and facilitating partnerships between environmental nonprofits and funders who are new to the space. Crucially, AVPN moved beyond advocacy to action by managing a pooled grant fund in 2023 aimed at sustainable development and climate innovation. Through its APAC Sustainability Seed Fund, AVPN aggregated capital from multiple donors and awarded grants totalling about $3 million to 13 climate-related projects across Asia. These projects included things like expanding solar mini-grids in Indonesia, supporting sustainable aquaculture in Vietnam, and reforestation efforts in Nepal. Partners like the Rockefeller Foundation supported this fund, giving it additional heft.

The impact of this collaborative funding was two-fold: it delivered resources to effective on-the-ground initiatives, and it gave participating philanthropists a hands-on education in climate solutions. Many donors who joined initially felt climate was outside their expertise, but by seeing how their money was put to work and by interacting with grantees, they became confident champions of the cause. AVPN also emphasizes measuring results and building capacity – for instance, helping nonprofits track how many tons of CO₂ were avoided or how many farmers’ incomes increased due to a project – which in turn builds donor confidence. The takeaway here is the importance of shared infrastructure. Platforms like AVPN act as matchmakers and accelerators: they connect money to proven solutions efficiently, and they create a community of practice so donors are not acting in isolation. By collaborating through such networks, an individual philanthropist can achieve far more than they could alone. It’s a model worth expanding. We could envision, for example, a South Asia Climate Collaboration platform or an ASEAN Green Fund that similarly pools resources to tackle region-wide challenges (like transboundary air pollution or water security) that no single donor or country can solve alone. Through AVPN and similar efforts, Asian philanthropy is learning that unity is strength – especially against a problem as large as climate change.

Mangrove Restoration in Odisha (India): One of the most inspiring grassroots climate resilience stories comes from the coast of Odisha in eastern India. There, the residents of a small village in Kendrapara district, in partnership with a local environmental NGO and supported by philanthropic and government funds, undertook to restore a degraded mangrove forest that once shielded their community. Over 12 years, villagers planted and nurtured 10 hectares of mangroves on their common lands, guided by elders’ knowledge of which species used to thrive there. Their motivation was simple: they had suffered horrific losses in past cyclones (especially the 1999 super-cyclone) and realized that mangroves could be a natural buffer. This initiative was modest in budget – just tens of thousands of dollars spread over years – but yielded extraordinary returns. In May 2019, Cyclone Fani made landfall in Odisha with devastating winds. Villagers recount how the mangrove plantation saved them: “Our village should have been destroyed. But the trees protected us – they broke the force of the cyclone and saved the roads and houses,” said the village head. The cyclone’s impact was markedly lower in that area compared to neighbouring areas with no mangroves. Following this success, the approach is being replicated in other coastal villages, with support from corporate CSR funds and state climate adaptation grants.

The Odisha mangrove project highlights a few key principles: (1) Nature-based solutions can provide powerful protection against climate disasters while also enhancing ecosystems. Mangroves not only blunt storm surges, they store carbon, support fisheries, and prevent erosion. (2) Community involvement and ownership were crucial – locals protected the young mangrove saplings from grazing and cared for them because they understood what was at stake. (3) Philanthropic funding played a catalytic role by kick-starting the effort and covering costs that neither the impoverished villagers nor tight government budgets could initially spare. Now that the model is proven, larger institutions are coming in to replicate it. Similar nature-based projects are gaining momentum across Asia’s coastlines: from Bangladesh (where planting mangroves and restoring wetlands have become national adaptation strategies) to the Mekong Delta and the Philippines. Often these start with NGO pilots backed by philanthropy, which then inform government policy. The broader lesson is that “soft” infrastructure can be as important as “hard” infrastructure in climate adaptation. It might be planting trees, restoring a watershed, or reviving traditional water tanks – these low-tech solutions often have high impact. Philanthropists, especially local and corporate ones, are well-suited to fund such efforts because they are relatively low-cost, community-oriented, and don’t always attract big international climate finance despite their effectiveness. By directing funds to these indigenous knowledge–driven projects, donors can help scale them up and integrate them into broader climate strategies.

These case studies share a common thread: they are collaborative, locally-informed, and scalable. They succeeded because they trusted local stakeholders and united multiple actors (philanthropists, NGOs, communities, and sometimes governments) around a shared goal. Each offers a template that can be replicated and adapted in other contexts. What’s needed now is bold leadership and increased funding to take these pilots to scale. Philanthropists and re-granting organizations in Asia can draw on these models in several ways. They can invest in grassroots leaders (as Dasra did) by providing flexible funding and capacity support to the thousands of small nonprofits working on climate-related issues from the Himalayas to the Pacific Islands. They can use networks and platforms (like AVPN or the India Climate Collaborative) to co-fund bigger initiatives and share due diligence, making their giving more strategic and less fragmented. And they can prioritize nature-based and community-driven solutions (like the mangroves) as a key piece of the climate puzzle, rather than defaulting only to high-tech or top-down projects. By doing so, philanthropists will not only address immediate needs but also build models that governments and markets can later scale up systematically. The overarching message is that Asia doesn’t need to copy-paste solutions from elsewhere – many of the best answers are being developed right here by its own people. With adequate support, these homegrown solutions can grow into world-changing solutions.

A Call to Action: India and Asia as the Climate Epicentre

The evidence is clear: Asia – and India in particular – has the ingredients to lead a new era of global climate action. We have an ancient heritage that teaches respect for nature, a rising generation of innovators and philanthropists eager to make a difference, and on-the-ground success stories that show us the way forward. Now is the time to bring all these strengths together with urgency and vision. This is a call to action for philanthropists, re-granters, business leaders, and changemakers in India and across Asia: step forward and claim the mantle of climate leadership. The world can no longer afford for Asia to be a passive player; it must become the epicentre of climate solutions. Here are key priorities and principles to guide this leadership:

Elevate climate as a core giving priority – not an afterthought. It’s time for climate action to move from the periphery to the centre of Asia’s philanthropic agenda. This means dramatically increasing the share of funding devoted to climate and environment. In India, where only 0.5% of philanthropy currently supports climate initiatives, there is immense room to grow. Major donors should treat investments in clean energy, clean air, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience as investments in public health, education, and economic development – because they are. When you fund renewable energy in rural clinics, you’re improving healthcare delivery. When you support sustainable farming, you’re bolstering food security and farmers’ incomes. Donors need to see that climate change underpins every mission they care about: if we fail on climate, gains in poverty reduction, health, and social justice will unravel. So, whether one’s passion is children’s health or women’s empowerment, adopting a climate lens will amplify impact. Concretely, this could mean a foundation revising its strategy to allocate, say, 20% of all grants towards climate-related projects (up from near-zero), or a philanthropist committing that any new major initiative they fund will incorporate sustainability. The scale of giving has to match the scale of the problem – fractions of a percent won’t cut it. The encouraging part is that every dollar spent on climate solutions today has an outsized benefit in preventing future suffering. It’s high-leverage philanthropy. Thus, elevating climate action in the portfolio isn’t a sacrifice of other causes; it’s about future-proofing those causes and multiplying their long-term benefits.

Back community-led, indigenous knowledge-based solutions. People closest to the problem often have the best ideas for solving it. Across Asia, countless community leaders, indigenous groups, and grassroots organizations are innovating ways to adapt to and mitigate climate change – often building on traditional knowledge and practices. These range from highland communities in Nepal developing local early-warning systems for glacial floods, to indigenous tribes in Borneo using centuries-old forest management techniques to maintain carbon-rich rainforests, to fishermen in Indonesia resurrecting ancient methods of sustainable fisheries management. Philanthropists should make it a priority to find and fund such proximate leaders. These solutions tend to be cost-effective, scalable, and culturally resonant. They also empower those often left out of high-level climate discussions – rural villagers, women, indigenous people, youth – turning them into agents of change. Supporting community-led work means providing patient, flexible funding (not one-year restricted grants with heavy reporting burdens). It means capacity building, trust, and partnership rather than parachuting in external consultants. The payoff is huge: these projects are more likely to succeed because they have local buy-in, and they can spread organically from village to village or through federations of communities. Moreover, by validating indigenous and local knowledge, we also uphold social equity and cultural diversity, which are values in themselves. For example, a donor could support a network of Himalayan villages to implement traditional water conservation systems (like kul irrigation channels) to combat drying springs – a practice that could then be shared across mountain regions. Or fund women-led self-help groups in arid parts of India to revive traditional seed banks for climate-resilient crops. These initiatives are already working in pockets; philanthropy can help take them to scale. In doing so, Asia can showcase to the world that modern climate action can harmonize with age-old wisdom and community empowerment.

Pool resources and collaborate to achieve systemic impact. The climate crisis is too vast and complex for any single institution to tackle alone. Asian philanthropists and organizations need to break out of silos and join forces. This could take many forms: collaborative funds, joint ventures between foundations, public-private-philanthropic partnerships, or city-level and regional alliances. By pooling resources, donors can support larger, more ambitious projects than they could individually. For example, one family foundation might not afford to fund a $10 million climate resilience program for an entire coastline, but ten foundations together could. Collaboration also allows specialization – each partner can bring their strength (one might contribute technology expertise, another grassroots networks, another policy influence). We have already seen promising examples: the India Climate Collaborative (ICC) was formed by leading Indian philanthropies to pool funding and coordinate climate strategies domestically. On a broader scale, networks like AVPN and the Philanthropy Asia Alliance are encouraging co-investment and shared learning across borders. The mantra should be “stronger together.” Collaborative philanthropy can also engage governments and businesses more effectively; a united philanthropic coalition can leverage policy change or co-fund projects with the public sector, whereas isolated efforts might be ignored. It’s important to note that collaboration doesn’t mean loss of autonomy or credit – rather, it multiplies the impact and often enhances each partner’s profile as an innovator. Donors should seek out or create consortia around specific issues: e.g., an Asia Pacific Clean Air Fund to jointly tackle air pollution in major cities, or a South Asian Water Security Initiative to protect shared river basins in the face of climate stress. By presenting a common front and pool of funds, such efforts can attract matching support from multilateral institutions as well. In essence, we need a more networked approach to climate philanthropy in Asia. Just as climate change crosses all boundaries, our response must be interconnected. Breaking the habit of working in silos will be challenging, but the reward is the ability to drive systemic changes – things like greening entire supply chains or shifting policies across multiple countries – which no lone donor could achieve.

Use philanthropic capital as catalytic risk capital. Philanthropy’s comparative advantage is its ability to take risks and be flexible in ways other funding sources cannot. Government spending is often constrained by politics and slow bureaucratic processes; private investors require a profit. Philanthropists, however, can be the venture capitalists for social good – funding breakthrough ideas, experimental pilots, and capacity-building efforts that may not yield immediate returns but could unlock massive impact. Asian philanthropists should embrace this role of providing catalytic capital to combat climate change. For instance, philanthropic funds can seed innovative startups working on clean energy or climate-smart agriculture, proving their model so that commercial investors can then step in to scale it. They can support research and development for technologies particularly relevant to Asian contexts (like affordable cooling systems for tropical cities, or drought-resistant crop varieties for South Asian farmers). They can fund demonstration projects – say a pilot of electric buses and charging infrastructure in a mid-sized city – to generate learnings and push governments to adopt such solutions widely. A real-world example: a coalition of donors in South Asia a few years ago funded legal and technical assistance to help energy experts and communities challenge some planned coal power plants. This contributed to several costly, polluting plants being shelved in favour of renewables, paving the way for cleaner energy trajectories. Philanthropy essentially helped derisk the political and market transition. Likewise, grants could be used to underwrite a guarantee fund that encourages banks to lend to green projects or small enterprises that build climate resilience (like weather insurance for farmers). By absorbing initial risks or costs (which philanthropic capital can write off if needed), they make it attractive for big money – from government or industry – to flow in afterward. Every philanthropic dollar, if strategically deployed, can leverage ten or a hundred dollars from other sources. Funders should seek out these leverage points. Ask: will this $1 million grant just make a one-off improvement, or could it change a policy, unlock a market, or build a model that gets replicated by others? The more we focus on systemic catalysts – things like training the next generation of Asian climate leaders, improving climate data and forecasting systems, or creating new financial instruments for green investment – the more outsized the impact of each philanthropic dollar. In sum, use philanthropy to buy down risk and buy up knowledge that then pave the way for massive scale by public and private players.

Lead with urgency and optimism – make bold action contagious. Finally, Asia’s climate leaders should set a tone of urgent optimism. We must convey the seriousness of the crisis – scientists are clear that this next decade is critical to avert the worst scenarios – but we must equally communicate that solutions are at hand and that bold action is possible and indeed already happening. Despair does not mobilize, hope does. Philanthropists can help by spotlighting success stories and scaling positive narratives. For example, when a city like Mumbai implements a cool roofs program that lowers temperatures for its poorest residents, we should tell that story and inspire other cities to copy it. When an Indian agricultural NGO successfully helps thousands of farmers adopt climate-resilient techniques and double their incomes, philanthropists can amplify that example through media and forums so it spreads to other regions. Showcasing wins creates a virtuous cycle: it attracts more funders, encourages policymakers, and counters the gloom that nothing can be done. Leading with optimism also means investing in education and youth. Asia has the largest youth population in the world – imagine the impact if climate literacy and eco-consciousness became a centrepiece of curricula and community life. Philanthropy can support environmental education programs, youth climate leadership camps, and public awareness campaigns that empower citizens. We want a populace that not only understands the risks but believes in its ability to drive change (through choices, votes, careers, etc.). Culturally, Asia can draw on deep wells of resilience and community spirit. Recall that in many of our traditions, the hero is the one who perseveres with faith despite great odds. We need to channel that ethos. Practically, philanthropists should encourage an attitude of experimentation and learning from failure – this is part of optimism too, the belief that we can course-correct and keep improving. If a project doesn’t meet expectations, treat it as a learning step to inform the next initiative, rather than a reason to retreat. And crucially, climate leaders in Asia should engage in storytelling that connects with people’s aspirations. Instead of framing climate action as sacrifice, frame it as modernization and opportunity – cleaner air, better jobs in green industries, more liveable cities, energy independence, and so on. When people see tangible benefits and a hopeful vision, they are more likely to rally behind tough changes. In summary, leadership is as much about inspiration as it is about investment. By leading with a mindset that is urgent yet optimistic, Asian philanthropists and changemakers can galvanize a broader movement, making bold climate action not just possible but contagious.

If Asia embraces these priorities – making climate central to development, empowering local solutions, uniting in collaboration, deploying catalytic capital, and inspiring the public – it can truly become the epicentre of global climate action. The impact of such leadership could be transformative. Imagine, five years from now, Asia’s annual philanthropic funding for climate has doubled or tripled. This could mean dozens of new major climate programs on the ground: solar parks lighting up hundreds of villages, climate-resilient housing for coastal communities, vast reforestation and agroforestry projects restoring landscapes, and cutting-edge clean tech enterprises emerging from Bangalore to Jakarta. We could see Asian cities competitively vying to be the greenest, cleanest metropolises, supported by local philanthropy and citizen action. We could see cross-border collaborations – for instance, Indian and Chinese and Japanese foundations jointly funding a clean energy corridor or a regional disaster preparedness network. Such a scenario would not only safeguard Asia’s own future but also significantly bend the global emissions curve and strengthen adaptation for billions.

Is this vision ambitious? Yes. But it is entirely within reach if we choose to act. The financial resources are growing; the knowledge and examples are already here. It comes down to commitment and courage. In many ways, history has thrust leadership upon India and Asia. As others step back, the world is watching to see who will step forward. India, with its dual identity as an ancient civilization and a modern rising power, has a special role to play. It can bridge the global North and South, insist on climate justice while also innovating on solutions. By leveraging its cultural ethos of harmony with nature and its contemporary strengths in technology and entrepreneurship, India can lead a new model of sustainable development – one that the entire developing world can take inspiration from.

To the philanthropists, business magnates, community leaders, and young activists of India and Asia: this is your moment. Your leadership can make the difference between a future of calamity and a future of hope. You have the capital, the influence, and the heart and wisdom needed to change the trajectory of climate change. The actions you take in the next few years (or the actions you don’t take) will shape generations to come. It’s a profound responsibility, but also a profound opportunity to do something remarkable in human history.

The torch of global climate leadership is waiting to be picked up, as others fumble. India, with Asia at its side, can carry it forward – guided by ancient wisdom, powered by modern innovation, and sustained by a spirit of shared humanity. The time to lead is now. If Asia’s giants rise to this challenge, and if all of us – as one human family – rally together, we can transform a looming catastrophe into a new chapter of hope. Let future generations look back and say that when the moment came, India and its Asian neighbours led the world with courage and compassion, and together, we built a more sustainable and just world.

climate changefireforest fireglobal leadershipglobal warminghigh temperatureIndiapolicy framing