Higher education institutions as hubs for youth empowerment and community-based climate action in urban India

Climate change has emerged as a defining challenge of the 21st century, disrupting ecosystems, economies, and communities worldwide. India, with its rapid urbanization, high population density, and reliance on climate-sensitive sectors, is among the most climate-vulnerable nations (IPCC, 2023; MoEFCC, 2021). Urban regions face intensifying risks such as prolonged heatwaves, traffic congestion, deteriorating air quality, urban flooding, and water scarcity, challenges that disproportionately affect marginalized groups, deepening existing inequalities. As the world’s most populous nation and a major greenhouse gas emitter, India’s climate choices will significantly influence global trajectories. At the same time, its demographic profile, with over 65% of the population below the age of 35 (United Nations, 2022) presents an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize youth as catalysts for resilience and sustainability. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially in urban India, occupy a pivotal position in this transformation: they serve not only as knowledge hubs but also as civic spaces where values of responsibility and sustainability can be cultivated. Yet, despite progressive policy frameworks such as the National Education Policy (NEP, 2020) and UGC directives on sustainability education, climate learning in HEIs remains largely theoretical. Less than 12% of institutions offer structured climate curricula or experiential projects, and fewer than one-third integrate sustainability into formal assessments (AISHE, 2023). This disconnects between classroom knowledge and real-world application has produced an “awareness–action gap”: while 74% of urban youth identify climate change as a major concern, only 39% report active participation in community-based climate initiatives (Centre for Policy Research, 2022). The gap underscores a deeper systemic issue, HEIs have yet to evolve from being transmitters of information to enablers of transformative, community-linked climate action.

Citation

Sahoo, N., Ganeru, K., Renukappa, S. & Suresh, S. (2025) Higher education institutions as hubs for youth empowerment and community-based climate action in urban India, presented at SUSCON XII – 12th International Conference on Sustainability IIM Shillong 20th -22nd November, 2025

Type

Conference contribution

Language

en

Description

This is an accepted manuscript of a conference contribution presented at SUSCON XII – 12th International Conference on Sustainability, IIM Shillong, 20th -22nd November, 2025. The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.

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Faculty of Science and Engineering