Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 18 (ANI): Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday hailed India as a key innovator and leader in addressing climate change, stressing the urgent need for creative, collaborative models in adaptation and mitigation during a fireside chat at the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week.
Speaking at the event, Clinton emphasised that meaningful progress cannot wait for political shifts in the United States.
"We cannot wait for the political change that I know will come to the United States because that's a few years off. We have to build the models here. We have to do the innovation here," she said.
Clinton pointed to successful grassroots innovations as proof of scalable impact, citing an insurance product that has reached 500,000 women policyholders who previously had no coverage.
"This insurance product that I mentioned to you, 500,000 policyholders now, women who've never had insurance for anything. So this is not only a good thing to do, it is smart. It is a new market," she added.
She called for greater integration of public, private, and philanthropic sectors to drive systemic change.
"We have to be creative about how we bring the public and private and philanthropic sectors together. So I could not be more enthusiastic, I think you could tell, about being here with all of you and representing the Clinton Global Initiative because we look for partners who want to do hard things and make a difference. And then when we see results, let's scale them," Clinton said.
Praising the Mumbai Climate Week as a landmark beginning, she expressed confidence in its potential to spark wider transformation.
"So you bringing everyone together for this first inaugural climate session here in Mumbai is, I am confident, the beginning of the change that needs to happen," she remarked.
Addressing the role of philanthropy amid the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history, Clinton urged a shift from traditional charity to tackling structural inequities that fuel the climate crisis.
"It is one of the most fundamental economic justice issues of our time and it is built on those extractive systems that right now are accelerating the climate crisis... philanthropy really need to now address a systems challenge, which is to fundamentally redistribute the source of power, wealth, accountability to those who need it the most," she said.
She stressed that philanthropy must simultaneously alleviate immediate suffering and dismantle root causes.
"I have always thought that philanthropy needs to do two things at once. It needs to help alleviate the kind of suffering, misery, disease, hunger that we can all see... However, that is not enough... We've got to address the structural, systemic problems that have created the kinds of issues that you all are concerned about," Clinton explained.
Highlighting the Clinton Global Initiative's Climate Resilience Fund, she noted its focus on seeding systemic shifts in adaptation and mitigation.
"I mentioned this Climate Resilience Fund that we are establishing that began as a commitment through the Clinton Global Initiative. Philanthropy is providing the first dollars," she said.
Clinton linked fossil fuel legacies to both climate change and public health crises, particularly air pollution affecting children.
"And you know, when I talk about fossil fuels, I'm not just talking about climate change. I'm talking about the pollution that fills the air in Delhi or Beijing... The particulates and what we breathe in is affecting our health, and particularly the health of our children. So that's why when I talk about climate, I always talk about climate and health," she added.
She urged businesses, communities, and individuals to act independently of political resistance.
"Just because the President of the United States does not want corporations to care about climate change, doesn't mean you shouldn't care about climate change... We have to say, no, we see it, and we're going to respond to it," Clinton asserted.
Recalling her earlier work in India on clean cooking solutions, she underscored the life-saving potential of small-scale innovations.
"I remember being in India when I was Secretary of State... we launched a big effort to change the way to create a market for clean cooking utensils. Now, that's a small thing, but it could have a big impact," she said.
Clinton concluded with a strong call for multi-sector collaboration through platforms like the Clinton Global Initiative.
"And that's why at the Clinton Global Initiative, we partner with all these different groups... Because I honestly believe now is the time for us to get creative, focused, and determined to address climate change in all the ways that each of us can," she said.
The fireside chat at Mumbai Climate Week underscored India's pivotal role in driving innovative, inclusive climate solutions amid global urgency. (ANI)