Journal of Environmental Biology

Environmental governance for addressing sustainable development goal for climate change

B. Pharate¹ and V. Ramanathan²*     

¹Department of Sustainability Studies, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune-411 038, India

²Department of Public Health, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune-411 038, India

Received: 24 October 2025                   Revised: 06 February 2026                   Accepted: 28 February 2026

*Corresponding Author Email : vanisree.ramanathan@mitwpu.edu.in                  *ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4298-8809

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal 13 for Climate Change and its component Goal 13.2 aims for countries to address climate change issue through governance. In this context, this research traces the journey of Indian environmental policy for climate action and examines the initiatives in India. The paper further explores the use of environmental impact assessment as a tool to achieve Goal 13.2. The study conducts a quantitative review of 270 environmental impact assessment reports through content analysis technique using a checklist and applying valuation criteria to explore application of climate change in practice.

83 of 270 reports were observed to include climate change criteria. This indicates a modest presence in climate-relevant content in conjunction with a temporal correlation with the State Action Plan for Climate Change (2017) for Maharashtra state. Overall, the link between climate change and environmental impact assessment was not critically established. The opportunity to address climate change through the existing framework for conducting an environmental impact assessment is highlighted through this study. The perspective that impact assessment is an important facet of environmental governance in India and can be directly aligned with Goal 13.2, extends beyond the conventional compliance-based understanding of an impact assessment.

Key words: Climate change, Environmental governance, Sustainable development goals

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