Sonakshi Saluja is a Senior Manager at MSC (MicroSave Consulting) and an economist with over 12 years of experience across climate change, sustainable and renewable energy, just energy transition, gender, livelihoods, and development policy. Her work has focused on advancing evidence-based research and policy initiatives across India and, increasingly, South and Southeast Asia.
At MSC, Sonakshi leads a multidisciplinary team working on climate and energy programs across the region. Her current portfolio includes district-level climate adaptation financing and economic impact assessment with UNDP in Odisha and Jharkhand; feminist approaches to renewable energy and climate resilience in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal with ICIMOD; inclusive climate-resilient livelihoods and innovation with The/Nudge Institute; and electric mobility and inclusive charging infrastructure in Indonesia supported by the Gates Foundation. She also leads and contributes to the development of large-scale climate and development programs for multilateral, bilateral, and philanthropic partners.
Previously, Sonakshi worked with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), under India’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, on gender-responsive urban climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and climate vulnerability, including work supported by KfW Development Bank. Her earlier experience spans the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST), Johns Hopkins SAIS’ Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and Dharma Life, with projects supported by organizations including the World Bank, GIZ, UK DFID, IISD, and ICIMOD.
Her work has also involved direct engagement with policymakers internationally. In 2024, she was selected for the U.S. Department of State’s Professional Fellows for Governance and Society program and worked with the Ohio General Assembly. In 2022–2023, she was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s International Climate Protection Fellowship in Germany, where she was a Guest Researcher at the Reiner Lemoine Institute in Berlin and conducted comparative research on India and Germany’s electric mobility transitions.
Sonakshi holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Selected publications or texts
1. Saluja, S. (2025). “Loss and Damage or Lost Development? Climate Finance Fuelled through Neo-Colonisation.” National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
2. Schenuit, F., Brutschin, E., Geden, O., Guo, F., Mohan, A., Fiorini, A. C. O., Saluja, S., Schaeffer, R., Riahi, K., “Taking stock of carbon dioxide removal policy in emerging economies: developments in Brazil, China, and India,” Climate Policy, 2024.
3. Gould, C.F., Pillarisetti, A., Thompson, L.M., Saluja, S., Nandan V., Mani S., Urpelainen, J., “Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Nature Energy 8, 169–178, 2023.
4. Gould, C.F., Jha, S., Patnaik, S., Agrawal, S., Zhang, A.T., Saluja, S., Nandan V., Mani S., Urpelainen, J., “Variability in the household use of cooking fuels: The importance of dishes cooked, non-cooking end uses, and seasonality in understanding fuel stacking in rural and urban slum communities in six north Indian states,” World Development, 2022.
5. Regmi, M. B., Zhang, J., Saluja, S., “The Asia-Pacific region’s transport sector needs a big push towards decarbonization,” UNESCAP Blog, 2022.
6. Urpelainen, J., Saluja, S., “Metering, Billing, and Collection: Improving Discom Performance Across North India,” Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP), 2019.
7. Gill, B., Saluja, S., Palit, D., “Electricity Pricing and the Willingness to Pay for Electricity in India: Current Understanding and the Way Forward,” The Energy and Resources Institute, 2017.
8. Saluja, S., “Community-Led Natural Resource Management,” Terra-Green, 10(3), pp: 8-9, 2017.
9. Tyagi, B., Saluja, S. Srivastava, N., Bharti, N., Bhattacharya, P.K., Aslam, S., Aggarwal, V. (2016). Effects of Various Disaster Management Approaches: An Evidence Summary; Contextualisation of Review Findings for South Asia and Bangladesh. London: EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, University College London.
10. Dhar Chakrabarti, P. G, Joshi, M., Mini, G., Saluja, S., “Social Justice and Equity,” in Dhar Chakrabarti P. G. (ed.), People, Planet, and Progress Beyond 2015, TERI, New Delhi, 2017.
11. Arora, N., Bhattacharjya, S., Kapur, S., Malik, J., Saluja, S., Satpathy, I., “Material Consumption Patterns in India: A Baseline Study of the Automotive and Construction Sectors,” Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany, 2016.
12. Kapur, S., Saluja, S., Singh, R., Satpathy, I., Bhattacharjya, S., Chaudhury, S., Laxmi, C., “The TERI Environmental Survey,” TERI Press, New Delhi, 2015.
13. Meenawat, H., Varma, K., Saluja, S., “Building Community Resilience to Flood Hazards using Geospatial Technology,” SERVIR Himalayas Small Grant Programme, 2015.
Selected speaking engagements
- Panelist, “Mobilizing Climate Finance for Sustainable Mobility: Electric Bus Implementation in ASEAN, Financing Mechanisms, and Social Impact,” Bangkok Climate Action Week, Bangkok, Thailand – 7 October 2026. Panel hosted by ITDP Indonesia and MSC, focused on financing and inclusive delivery models for electric buses and charging infrastructure across ASEAN.
- Panelist, “Beyond the Payout: Rethinking Disaster Risk Finance for Locally Led Adaptation,” Bangkok Climate Action Week, Bangkok, Thailand – 5 October 2026. Panel hosted by MSC and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), focused on disaster risk finance, locally led adaptation, and last-mile financing.
- Presenter, Inclusive Climate Finance for Vulnerable Communities in Asia-Pacific (ICCAP) Inception Workshop, Kathmandu, Nepal – 24 June 2026. Presented MSC’s approach and methodology for policy analysis, multi-stakeholder cooperation, and regional engagement under the six-country ICCAP program, convened by SEI, APRACA, and ADA with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal.
- Presenter, “Unlocking Commercial Finance for Expanding the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture,” New Delhi, India – 17 June 2026. Presented MSC’s research on barriers and financing pathways for scaling climate-smart agriculture at a dialogue convened by MSC and Energiva Ventures.
- Speaker, “The Intersection of Climate Change and Gender in India’s Coastal Region” – CPPR and The Asia Foundation. Spoke on gender-differentiated climate vulnerability, including access to finance and transport, climate migration, sanitation, social protection, and participatory governance.
- Guest Expert, E-Mobility and Future E-Charging Concepts, Reiner Lemoine Institute, Berlin, Germany. Shared research and perspectives on future e-charging concepts for the German Academy of Digital Education (DADB) e-Mobility course for university students in India and Africa.
Awards and recognitions
- Professional Fellows for Governance and Society Fellowship – U.S. Department of State, 2024. Selected as one of 12 fellows; completed a professional placement with the Ohio General Assembly, USA.
- International Climate Protection Fellowship – Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2022-2023. Selected as one of 15 international fellows; conducted independent research as a Guest Researcher at the Reiner Lemoine Institute, Berlin.
- UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Youth Leadership Training – Bangkok, Thailand, 2017. Selected for the Asia-Pacific regional program bringing together young sustainability leaders from across the region.