Forest ecosystems are linked to the climate change problem in several ways. Standing forests are repositories of carbon and growing forests can be net carbon sinks. So, conserving existing forests and creating new or denser forests helps in the mitigation of global climate change. Forests also mediate other climatic processes that are being influenced by global climate change, such as rainfall. However, climate regulation—whether global or regional—is not the only benefit that forests provide to society, especially in a country like India. An exclusive focus on the climate benefits can therefore affect other forest-related benefits. Simultaneously, forests are being affected by climate change, thereby influencing their ability to provide these other benefits. To understand the relationship between forests and climate change in India, we begin by first elucidating the socio-ecological nature of forests in general, and the ongoing contestation in India over the control and management of these forests in particular. We then look at the possible role of India’s forests in mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration, and also their role in other climate processes. Finally, we discuss how looming climate change may, in turn, shape India’s forests and forest-related benefits.