Climate Change & DRR

Communities are the first to feel the shocks of climate change, whether through floods, droughts, heatwaves or natural disasters. Yet, their voices are often absent from the spaces where policies and plans are made. At IPAC, we ensure that local knowledge, resilience and lived realities are not ignored but placed at the heart of climate action and disaster risk reduction.

Women-Led Resilience in Crises

We see women not as passive victims of crises, but as powerful leaders of resilience. Across India, women have shown extraordinary courage during health emergencies, natural disasters, and conflicts, protecting lives, defending rights and rebuilding communities.

In Manipur, the Torch Women safeguarded their people during outbreaks and insurgencies, while in Rajasthan, women turned hardship into economic empowerment that sustained families and revitalized villages. These are not just stories of survival, but powerful testimonies of leadership. By equipping women with knowledge, confidence and tools, we ensure their resilience informs state and national disaster strategies.

Grassroots Engagement in Adaptation & Relief

The most effective solutions often begin at the grassroots. That’s why we work directly with communities to strengthen and scale their local initiatives in climate adaptation and disaster relief.

From school-based awareness sessions on disaster preparedness to statewide tree-planting drives, we support community-led action that builds resilience against heatwaves, floods, and droughts. Equally important, we document these local practices and bring them into policy dialogues at state and national levels, ensuring adaptation strategies grow from lived realities rather than distant assumptions.

Community Health & Safety in a Changing Climate

Climate change is as much a human crisis as it is an environmental one. Heatwaves, floods and erratic rainfall have direct impacts on public health, especially for marginalized groups.

In Rajasthan, we share lifesaving practices for coping with extreme heat, while in Chhattisgarh, our focus includes safe drinking water, sanitation and disease prevention during seasonal floods. Schools, colleges and women’s collectives lead awareness campaigns, ensuring information reaches every household. We also connect people to government health schemes and work with disaster agencies and the NDMA when crises exceed local capacity. Insights from these efforts inform state and national planning, making future responses more inclusive and grounded.

Linking Climate Action with Gender Justice

The climate crisis is not gender-neutral. Women from rural and marginalized communities face disproportionate risks, from losing livelihoods to being displaced during disasters. That’s why we place gender justice at the center of all our climate and DRR initiatives.

Across Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Manipur, and Northeast India, women leaders drive awareness campaigns, lead disaster preparedness, and coordinate relief. They have mobilized communities in struggles like the Maphou Dam conflict in Manipur, and resisted unsustainable resource extraction in Northeast India. By supporting women’s leadership in advocacy and governance, we ensure climate action is both equitable and resilient.

Extractives and Community Rights

Large-scale mining and infrastructure projects often transform landscapes at great cost to local communities. IPAC documents these impacts, bringing forward voices that are usually sidelined. We highlight threats to biodiversity, loss of livelihoods and shrinking access to natural resources, while showcasing the leadership role women play in defending community rights.

Platforms such as the Delhi Consultation on Extractives create direct engagement between affected communities, policymakers, parliamentarians and civil society. These spaces not only surface urgent concerns but also chart pathways for community-led, rights-based solutions.