Mumbai

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday hailed India as a crucial innovator and leader in tackling climate change, calling for creative, collaborative models in climate adaptation and mitigation.

Speaking during a fireside chat at the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week, Clinton stressed that meaningful climate action cannot be delayed by political shifts elsewhere and must be driven through innovation and partnerships on the ground.

“We cannot wait for political change in the United States. We have to build the models here. We have to do the innovation here,” she said, highlighting India’s capacity to develop scalable solutions.

Clinton cited grassroots innovations as proof of impact, pointing to an insurance product that has reached nearly 500,000 women who previously had no coverage. She said such initiatives not only address social needs but also create new markets.

Calling for deeper integration of public, private and philanthropic sectors, Clinton said collaborative approaches are essential for systemic change. She praised the gathering of stakeholders at Mumbai Climate Week as a significant first step towards broader transformation.

Addressing the role of philanthropy amid what she described as the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history, Clinton urged a shift from traditional charity to tackling structural inequities that worsen the climate crisis. She emphasised that philanthropy must both ease immediate suffering and confront the systemic causes behind climate and economic injustice.

Highlighting the work of the Clinton Global Initiative, she referred to its Climate Resilience Fund, which aims to seed long-term systemic shifts in climate adaptation and mitigation.

Clinton also linked climate change to public health, citing air pollution from fossil fuels as a major threat to children’s health, and recalled her earlier work in India promoting clean cooking solutions as an example of how small-scale innovations can save lives.

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Concluding her remarks, Clinton called on businesses, communities and individuals to act irrespective of political resistance, underscoring India’s pivotal role in shaping inclusive and innovative climate solutions at a time of global urgency.