The paper, “Energy, Development and Climate Change: Striking a Balance”, examines the energy scenario – availability, access, influence of markets and government policies – in rural India, especially in the areas where WOTR has been working. It highlights the successful partnership between local communities, with their innate grounded wisdom and local knowledge, and modern researchers and scientists willing to position their learning and experience on community science. It roots for a positioning and policy framework that broadens the scope of work from cooking fuel and lighting, to energy needs for irrigation, for trade, business, manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation and construction.