Future technologies for climate adaptation: AI-based modeling, ICT systems, and engineering solutions within India’s governance framework

Climate change is accelerating the frequency and intensity of climate hazards in India, heightening the urgency for robust, technology-enabled adaptation strategies. While emerging tools such as AI-based climate modeling, ICT-enabled monitoring systems, satellite analytics, digital-twin simulations, and climate-resilient engineering solutions offer transformative potential for anticipatory governance, their effective deployment depends on a responsive legal and institutional framework. This study critically examines how India’s environmental governance architecture engages with these technologies and identifies the regulatory, institutional, financial, and intellectual-property constraints that shape their adoption. Using a qualitative doctrinal and policy-analysis methodology, the study assesses statutory instruments, judicial doctrines, and policy frameworks, complemented by comparative insights from the European Union, the United States, and Australia. The findings reveal that although India’s environmental laws provide strong normative foundations, they remain mitigation-centric and lack explicit mandates for technology-driven adaptation. Institutional fragmentation, weak data governance systems, limited adaptation finance, and barriers to technology transfer further constrain technological integration. The study argues for a comprehensive climate-adaptation law that incorporates technology facilitation, harmonized data and IP frameworks, multi-level coordination, and equity-focused provisions. Such reforms are essential to build an innovation-enabling, accountable, and resilient adaptation regime suited to India’s escalating climate challenges.