A Mega Science Vision-2035 report on climate research, prepared by the Indian scientific community with the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru as the nodal institution and submitted to the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, was released publicly this week. Its central message states that India has largely lost the capacity to manufacture its own scientific instruments. Virtually no domestic companies produce quality tools for climate studies, leading to billions spent on imports. Many imported devices are operated without full understanding of their principles or limits and often remain uncalibrated for years, resulting in questionable data published in journals. The Mega Science Vision process, previously applied to nuclear and high-energy physics, was extended for the first time to climate research, ecology and astronomy under the Principal Scientific Adviser. A working group led by a senior academic and including a former ocean information centre director consulted over 3,000 researchers. The document presents community aspirations rather than binding policy. India has developed prototypes such as ocean profiling floats and automatic weather stations, yet these have rarely reached commercial production despite technology transfers. The report recommends an initial audit to determine why scaling fails and suggests mandating greater domestic manufacturing with assured purchases. It also calls for studies on long-term effects of large-scale renewable energy extraction while maintaining support for clean power goals. Additional proposals include a nationwide climate and health observatory, eight major projects covering observations, sensors, satellites, modelling and adaptation, plus expanded networks for black carbon and paleoclimate data.
