This report critically examines Climate Action Plans (CAPs) from sixteen Indian cities to assess the balance between mitigation and adaptation strategies. While adaptation is vital for climate justice, especially in vulnerable urban communities, the study finds that most CAPs remain dominated by top-down approaches and high-level interventions, often overlooking local contexts and needs. Using the UNDP’s Adaptation Policy Framework and Biagini et al.'s adaptation typology, the research highlights gaps in stakeholder participation, socio-economic mapping, and the contextual grounding of strategies. It advocates for decentralized, inclusive, and integrated planning that empowers vulnerable populations through bottom-up processes.
