After two running years of failed rains have pummelled farmers, a generous monsoon season remains the only way to relieve distress in the countryside and boost economic growth.

I recently visited the island of Ghoramara to document how climate change is affecting human beings. This island in the Sundarbans Delta of the Bay of Bengal has lost about 75% of its landmass to waters rising due to climate change, causing two-thirds of its population--who can only be called climate refugees--to move elsewhere.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently ruled against India's "buy-local" provisions for large solar projects, which are entitled to subsidy and assured government procurement if the equipment is manufactured locally. Filed by the US in 2013, the case was brought to remove any disadvantage to imported solar equipment in India. The WTO has a history of supporting anti-climate and anti-environment rulings, with Canada recently losing a similar case on renewable energy and incentives for local firms in Ontario.

Public-private collaboration will be essential to raising the finance needed for India's cleaner growth. While the right domestic policies will be key to facilitating finance, greatly scaling up investment from the private sector will be the only way to mobilise the full amount of capital needed to meet India's renewable energy targets. In order to scale up private investment, India needs financial instruments for renewable energy and other green infrastructure that are a better match with investors' needs.

Throughout the world, natural disasters and severe weather events tend to impact women more than men. In developing countries, this problem is compounded when several other factors such as malnutrition, inequitable distribution of power and gender roles that are unfavourable to women are added to the mix.