Towards science-based climate policy in Kerala: Integrating adaptation and mitigation for a climate-resilient future

Kerala has experienced a succession of climate extremes, including intense rainfall and heat stress, along with associated floods, landslides, and droughts, highlighting the urgent need to transition from uncoordinated climate responses to a science-based, integrated policy framework. Despite a growing body of scientific evidence documenting these trends, policy interventions remain inadequately aligned with empirical assessments and often lack consistency across sectors and scales. This perspective argues for embedding climate policy in robust scientific evidence, high-resolution climate datasets, and integrated vulnerability assessments that encompass both biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions. Drawing on observed climate variability, future projections, and recent climate-induced disasters, the study identifies critical gaps in data infrastructure, institutional coordination, climate finance, climate change impact assessments, and implementation capacity. It advances watershed-based planning as a scientifically grounded spatial unit for climate action and underscores the importance of systematic monitoring, climate auditing, and adaptive governance. Furthermore, the article advocates establishing a dedicated Climate Change Adaptation Cadre in the state to strengthen the science-policy-practice interface and facilitate effective decentralised implementation. Integrating mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction within a coherent governance framework is essential for advancing climate-resilient development in Kerala and other climate-vulnerable regions of the Global South.