Mahabahu Climate Forum (MCF) – Building a Regional Architecture for Climate Justice, Knowledge, and Action in North-East India

Mahabahu Climate Forum (MCF) – Building a Regional Architecture for Climate Justice, Knowledge, and Action in North-East India

MOHAN KHOUND

The Mahabahu Climate Forum (MCF) represents a distinctive regional model of climate engagement that integrates knowledge production, policy dialogue, grassroots mobilization, and media-led climate communication in the ecologically sensitive landscape of North-East India. Established under the broader vision of Mahabahu, an internationally recognized media and knowledge platform and the Multicultural Educational Development Trust, the Mahabahu Climate Forum was conceived as a response to the intensifying climate vulnerabilities of the Brahmaputra valley and the wider Eastern Himalayan ecological region. Within a relatively short period, MCF has evolved into a multidisciplinary platform that bridges academia, governance, civil society, and youth engagement to translate climate awareness into policy-relevant action.

The institutional architecture of MCF reflects this interdisciplinary orientation. The forum is led by Anjan Sarma as President and Rituraj Phukan as Convenor, providing intellectual leadership in climate justice and environmental advocacy. The coordination and communication of the forum’s activities are overseen by Kakali Das, while research-related initiatives are managed by research scholars Padmaza Talukdar and Kaustabh Baruah, with Rishabh Rai serving as an advisor. Nilim Kashyap Barthakur is an associate of the Green Campus initiative, one of MCF’s flagship ventures. The technological and legal aspects of the Mahabahu Climate Forum are overseen by Sanjeev Sarma and Tonoy Chakravarty, respectively. This leadership structure demonstrates a hybrid model combining media expertise, academic research, and environmental activism.

Air Quality Management System Handed Over to Bajali HS School by Forest Department, Bajali District Administration &  Mahabahu Climate Forum

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From its official inception in 2025, the Mahabahu Climate Forum has prioritized institutional partnerships as a mechanism for enabling and scaling climate action. Formal Memorandum of Understanding have been established with Bhattadev University in Assam, the Climate Reality Project India, which was founded by former United States Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, and the Healthy Climate Initiative (HCI)based out of the United States of America. Through these collaborations, the forum has developed programs in climate justice education, faculty and student training, public awareness campaigns, and collaborative research. Discussions are also underway to develop a landmark partnership with the Government of Assam aimed at integrating climate literacy and environmental governance into regional development frameworks.

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MCF’s work demonstrates the importance of linking climate discourse with technological innovation and sustainable enterprises. In this regard, the forum functions as the outreach partner of Deroi Tea, a climate-conscious startup from Assam seeking to transform conventional tea processing. Traditional tea manufacturing in Assam relies heavily on fossil fuels such as coal and gas during the drying process, contributing to significant greenhouse gas emissions. By developing proprietary electric drying technologies capable of producing carbon-free dried tea, including green, oolong, and orthodox black teas, Deroi Tea offers a pathway toward decarbonising a major regional industry. 

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A defining feature of the Mahabahu Climate Forum’s strategy has been its emphasis on climate education as a catalyst for social transformation. One of its most significant initiatives is the book Climate Justice-101: Empowering Community Leadership, a pioneering book on the subject in India.

Bhattadev University Launch Green Campus Programme to Foster Sustainability in NE India: A Mahabahu Initiative

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The book will form the basis of a thirty-hour to 120 hour certificate programme designed to introduce participants to the scientific, ethical, and policy dimensions of climate justice. Developed by Rituraj Phukan with additional chapters contributed by members of the forum including Anjan Sarma, Sanjeev Sarma, Kakali Das, Padmaza Talukdar, and Kaustabh Baruah, the programme includes a structured academic syllabus and an accompanying textbook published and available globally on Amazon. The course represents one of the earliest structured climate justice education programmes developed in North-East India and reflects MCF’s broader commitment to democratizing climate knowledge. 

Complementing this initiative is the Green Campus Programme, a regional sustainability framework encouraging universities and colleges to integrate environmental responsibility into campus governance. The programme promotes sustainable campus management practices, environmental literacy programs, biodiversity conservation initiatives, and student-led climate action. The initiative was first introduced at Bhattadev University and subsequently expanded to 14 colleges, marking a significant milestone in institutional sustainability engagement in the North-East India.

One of the most transformative interventions undertaken by the forum was in Bajali district of Assam. Through a six-day climate awareness programmes organized in collaboration with the District Commissioner’s Office and the Chowkhuti Block administration, MCF engaged educators and institutional stakeholders in intensive discussions on climate science and environmental responsibility.

The programme ultimately led the district administration to issue a directive mandating climate education in all schools and colleges of Bajali district twice every month. To support teachers implementing this policy, Rituraj Phukan, authored a comprehensive Handbook on Climate Education, thereby institutionalizing climate literacy at the district level and other levels. The handbook was published by the MCF.

The educational movement initiated in Bajali subsequently expanded into environmental monitoring infrastructure. On 10 March 2026, the Mahabahu Climate Forum, in collaboration with the Bajali District Administration and the North Kamrup Forest Division, supported the launch of an Air Quality Management System (AQMS) at Bajali Higher Secondary School in Pathsala. The initiative originated during a climate awareness programme held on 27 December 2025, when Mahendra Kumar Yadav, Special Chief Secretary of Assam’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, announced the installation following interactions with students. The programme was attended by more than five hundred students and teachers from multiple institutions, along with senior officials and representatives of the forum.

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The newly installed system now provides real-time air quality data that can be utilized by students, educators, and researchers, including those at nearby institutions such as Bhattadev University, thereby strengthening science-based environmental learning.

In addition to educational initiatives, MCF has actively fostered academic dialogue and public engagement through conferences, workshops, and knowledge exchanges. A notable example was the Principals’ Conclave organized at Bhattadev University, which explored strategies for integrating climate education into institutional curricula and governance frameworks. The forum has also conducted media sensitization workshops recognizing the crucial role of journalism in communicating climate science and shaping public discourse. Academic collaboration also extends to interdisciplinary dialogues with research institutions. 

On 16 March 2026, the Mahabahu Climate Forum (MCF) collaborated with the International Centre for Frugal Innovation (A Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Alliance, the Netherlands) and the Transdisciplinary Research Cluster on Frugality Studies (TRCFS), Jawaharlal Nehru University to organize a documentary screening and academic discussion at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Guwahati. The event featured a student-project documentary ‘Think Like an Astronaut’, followed by a discussion on frugal innovation, responsible consumption, and sustainability. The dialogue highlighted the relevance of frugal thinking in addressing resource constraints and environmental degradation in developing economies.

The Mahabahu Climate Forum has also leveraged digital platforms to expand its reach beyond geographical boundaries. International webinars organized by the forum have brought together climate activists, scholars, and practitioners from multiple regions. An Earth Day webinar held on 22 April 2025 featured speakers including Kenyan climate activist Ipato Kenta, Assamese environmental advocate Arghadeep Baruah, and environmental campaigner Disha Saswati Raut, fostering a cross-regional environmental dialogue. Another international virtual event organized on World Environment Day, 5 June 2025, featured sustainability expert Anabel Ternes Von Hattburg, alongside Anjan Sarma and Rituraj Phukan, focusing on communities living on the frontlines of climate change.

Beyond education and advocacy, MCF has increasingly positioned itself within global climate policy networks. A significant milestone was its representation at the first meeting of the new Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity related to Indigenous People and Local Communities that took place in Panama City from October 27-20, 2025. Participation in this global policy forum helped highlight environmental concerns from the Eastern Himalayan region within international discussions on land degradation and climate resilience.

Publications form another key pillar of the forum’s work. Knowledge outputs include the climate justice textbook Climate Justice101: Empowering Community Leadership authored by the MCF core team, the climate anthology Echoes of Earth edited by Kakali Das, and Everyday Climate Action: A Handbook for Gen Z authored by Rituraj Phukan. These works are complemented by four commemorative bulletins documenting major climate initiatives, a twelve-page environmental awareness calendar, and hundreds of climate-related articles published through the Mahabahu platform, collectively contributing to the expansion of climate literacy and awareness in the region.

Field-based research training forms another dimension of the forum’s activities. A five-month research internship programme conducted in Guwahati between October 2024 and March 2025 examined human–macaque interactions in urban environments at locations including the Navagraha Temple, Basistha Temple, the Gauhati University campus, and the Maligaon Railway Colony.

Bajali District Administration and MCF Drive Climate Change Awareness among students with Landmark events

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The project was supervised by Dr. Rishab Rai of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, along with Kaustabh Baruah, Padmaza Talukdar, and Kakali Das. Building upon this interdisciplinary research orientation, MCF is currently supervising a research internship in Kashmir examining community-based early warning systems for human–wildlife conflict. The study is being conducted by research intern Farhan Nazir from the Ganderbal region of Kashmir. 

MCF’s leadership also engages with global sustainability platforms. In February 2026, representatives of MCF participated in the Mumbai Climate Week, the International Youth Sustainability Festival 4.0 in Pune, and the World Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), contributing to national and international discussions on climate governance and sustainability. 

Youth engagement remains central to the forum’s mission. On 2 March 2026, a climate workshop titled “Action and Innovation” was organized by the Department of Geography at the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong in collaboration with the Healthy Climate Initiative (HCI) and the Mahabahu Climate Forum. The workshop, guided by Dr. Soumitra Das, Rituraj Phukan, and Anjan Sarma, engaged sixty-eight students in discussions on greenhouse gas reduction, ecosystem restoration, and climate intervention research. One of the most notable outcomes of the event was the formation of a student-led climate initiative called “Mahabahu NEHU,” symbolizing the transition from climate awareness to youth-driven climate action.

Collectively, the work of the Mahabahu Climate Forum illustrates how a regional initiative can construct an integrated architecture of climate engagement combining education, research, policy dialogue, technological innovation, and public communication.

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By positioning the voices and ecological realities of Assam and North-East India within both national and global climate conversations, the forum demonstrates a replicable model of climate justice-oriented institutional development rooted in local knowledge and community participation.

Headline Image: MCF & HCI in NEHU, Shillong, Meghalaya

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