Linking resilience and green growth: how green business can contribute to more resilient cities in India

In the face of a growing sustainability challenge, cities are becoming increasingly important actors. Municipal leaders are stepping up their efforts to adapt to the consequences of climate change and to mitigate the future impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. Becoming more resilient has become a key challenge for many cities. At the same time, major bottlenecks remain, and financial restrictions continue to be a stumbling block for cities when turning vision into reality, particularly those in less-developed regions. This chapter aims to contribute to this emerging discussion on the synergies between mitigation and adaptation and argues that the private sector has an important role to play. This is captured in the concept of green-driven growth, which emphasizes the potential benefits of a local green industry to a city’s quest for greater resilience: green jobs and green products. When looking at the various types of wind energy businesses in selected Indian cities, an assessment of company activity shows that the majority of green business can indeed be found in those sectors that either create additional jobs or those that offer green products for the municipality.