Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay

The Living Lab initiative is central to IIT Bombay’s vision for sustainability. We from Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay have been arguing that it begins with a simple but powerful idea: understand before you act.

We emphasize that robust monitoring and baseline data are essential first steps. Without them, even well-intentioned technologies can backfire, leading to maladaptation -- a challenge already highlighted in the IPCC AR6.

Taking this vision into the field, our very own Prof. Jaideep Joshi and his team are establishing a Living Lab in the Western Ghats to closely study and monitor forest ecosystems.

Curious to see how this work unfolds on the ground? Watch this short video from the Treehouse research group’s first field campaign.

https://youtu.be/rmE9fzWSqg0

Traditional Day at Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay!

🌍 World Meteorological Day - 23rd March

We marked this special occasion at the Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay with an engaging and thought-provoking talk by Prof. Axel Kleidon (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena) on “How Basic Physics Shapes the Climate over Land.”

The talk highlighted how fundamental physical principles—such as energy balance, heat transport, and thermodynamics—can explain key aspects of land–atmosphere interactions, including temperature and humidity patterns.

The session sparked insightful discussions and offered a deeper appreciation of how basic physics underpins complex climate systems.

Grateful for the opportunity to host such an enriching lecture and for the stimulating exchange of ideas it inspired.

Congratulating Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay associate faculty, Prof. Vikram Vishal for signing MoU with Petroleum Technology Research Centre in the presence of Hon'ble Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan.

A great moment for climate innovation and India-Canada collaboration ✨

🌟Thanks Aayushi Mishra for joining us for a wonderful and insightful talk on climate debt doom loop.

Aayushi Mishra, Northeastern University | Can We Disrupt the "Climate-Debt Doom Loop" in US Cities? "The $4 trillion U.S. municipal bond market finances over 70% of local public infrastructure, ranging from roads and bridges to water systems and public scho...

Proud to celebrate JalViks joining Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship - SINE, IIT Bombay! 👏

JalViks, led by our PhD student Ganesh Gupta under Prof. Subimal Ghosh, was formed by the team that won the first-ever ACCESS (ACcelerating Climate, Energy & Sustainability Solutions) Award in 2023 - sponsored by IIT Bombay distinguished alumni donors, Dr. Vinaya Kapoor and Dr. Samir Kapoor.

A huge thank you to Dr. Vinaya and Dr. Samir for championing climate entrepreneurship through the ACCESS Award Initiative. Your sponsorship ignited JalViks, transforming scientific talent into a venture now delivering climate decision support to farmers across Maharashtra.

This full-circle milestone, thanks to our student Ganesh Gupta, our Head Prof Subimal Ghosh and the JalViks team, fuels our mission at Centre for Climate Studies, IIT Bombay!

Learn more about JalViks: https://www.jalviks.com/

and ACCESS Awards: https://www.climate.iitb.ac.in/access-award/Home.html

Welcome our New Incubatee, Jalviks Pvt Ltd, a climatetech startup that Enhances climate resilience with digital decision-support and advisory services.

IIT Bombay

Welcome our New Incubatee, Jalviks Pvt Ltd, a climatetech startup that Enhances climate resilience with digital decision-support and advisory services.

IIT Bombay

Can We Disrupt the “Climate-Debt Doom Loop” in U.S. Cities?

We are pleased to invite you to a webinar to be delivered by Ms Aayushi Mishra from Northeastern University.

TITLE: Can We Disrupt the “Climate-Debt Doom Loop” in U.S. Cities?

Thursday, Jan 29, 2026, 5 to 6 PM IST

Microsoft Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/45257768888523?p=RSdrxRlBjjx1MR2Kyl

Meeting ID: 452 577 688 885 23
Passcode: CS7G4pk6


ABSTRACT:

The $4 trillion U.S. municipal bond market finances over 70% of local public infrastructure, ranging from roads and bridges to water systems and public schools. As we discuss in our paper, physical climate risk is underpriced when assessing bond valuations in high climate risk areas. In other words, cities may be (unknowingly) financing long-term infrastructure under the assumption that there will be little to no climate risk exposing the projects. Further, investors (the actors that purchase the bonds) may be overlooking the risks that could become material a lot sooner than expected.

This is a discussion of when, not if. When investors begin to pay attention and incorporate climate risks into their decision-making adequately, borrowing costs will rise steeply in cities with high climate risk exposure and limited fiscal capacity. These are often the same cities that already struggle with underinvestment, aging infrastructure, and/or constrained budgets. As a result, when ‘The Great Repricing’ occurs, it will deepen existing disparities, where well-resourced cities will weather the shift (pun intended), while under-resourced ones may fall further and further behind just when they need the investments the most

SPEAKER BIO: Aayushi Mishra is a third-year doctoral candidate at Northeastern University’s Sustainability and Data Sciences Laboratory (SDS Lab). Her research focuses on how physical climate risk shapes infrastructure investment, financial markets, and equity outcomes in both the U.S. and across sovereign nations globally. Aayushi holds a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies from Mount Holyoke College.

Congratulations to our associate faculty, Prof. Debabrata Maiti and team on their project “TechnoHeritage Ayurveda: Data-Driven, IoT-Powered Innovations Enhancing Safety, Evidence & Sustainability in Traditional Therapies,” being selected among the **top 21 global innovations** (from 1,175 proposals worldwide) under the WHO H2I Open Call at the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit 2025, New Delhi (17-19 Dec)!

This collaborative effort with ACTREC–Tata Memorial Centre (led by Dr. Vikram Gota & Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Archana Kumari Redhu) integrates AI/ML for scientific validation of phytochemicals, targeting oral cancer pathways to overcome drug resistance with affordable, low-toxicity options. A perfect blend of traditional knowledge and modern data science for inclusive oncology!

Recognized in the presence of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi and WHO DG Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Proud moment for Indian innovation in sustainable healthcare!

We are glad to announce that a joint project between ACTREC–Tata Memorial Centre and IIT Bombay, led by Dr. Vikram Gota along with Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Archana Kumari Redhu, & Prof. Debabrata Maiti along with PhD scholar Mr. Anirban Pal, was selected among the top 21 global innovations (from 1,175 proposals worldwide) under the WHO H2I Open Call at the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit 2025, New Delhi held during 17-19th December, 2025.

The project, “TechnoHeritage Ayurveda: Data-Driven, IoT-Powered Innovations Enhancing Safety, Evidence & Sustainability in Traditional Therapies,” focuses on AI/ML-enabled scientific validation of phytochemicals, with translational potential in oral Cancer & integrative oncology. The work explores how phytochemicals may modulate cancer-relevant molecular and genetic pathways, particularly those implicated in disease progression & treatment resistance. By combining traditional medical knowledge with modern data science, the project aims to generate robust, reproducible evidence aligned with global regulatory expectations & WHO frameworks.

Held in the presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Summit provided a global platform for this recognition.

This innovation addresses a major public health challenge by enabling affordable, effective & low-toxicity treatment options for oral Cancer. Current chemotherapeutic drugs are costly, cause severe systemic side effects, & frequently fail due to drug resistance. The proposed approach integrates traditional medicinal knowledge with advanced AI-driven discovery to identify bioactives that can be used either as standalone therapeutic options or in synergy with existing chemotherapies to enhance efficacy and overcome resistance. This strategy can reduce treatment failure while maintaining or improving quality of life & preserving essential functions such as speech & swallowing. It strengthens sustainable healthcare systems, supports responsible use of traditional knowledge & empowers communities through ethical benefit-sharing, advancing inclusive, human-centered Cancer care.

Ministry of Education