Climate policy ignoring its best ally: Nature

When a record heatwave scorches Delhi or when rising seas swallow a village in Odisha, we count human losses: lives disrupted, homes destroyed, livelihoods ruined, However, we often overlook natural systems, such as forests, mangroves, coral reefs, and even elephants and oysters, that could have mitigated the impact.

- Ansuman Das & Pranay Kumar Swain

Climate policy treats nature as an afterthought, when in reality, flora and fauna are our best defence.

Rising seas pose one of the most pressing threats of our century. In India alone, 170 million people live along the coast. Yet policy conversations about sea-level rise usually stop at human displacement and infrastructure loss. What's missing is the ecological crisis: mangrove forests are drowning, coral reefs are eroding, and biodiversity is vanishing. These losses are not secondary; they are central to human survival.

Mangroves shield coastal villages from storm surges, filter water, and trap carbon. Unlike seawall, which erode and require costly repairs, mangroves adapt and grow with the changing tides. Coral reefs, built by tiny marine animals, act as natural breakwaters, dissipating wave energy and protecting shorelines. When they die, fisheries collapse and coastal incomes vanish.