Tackling The Climate Crisis

Context: The pressure to speed up mitigation and adaptation is at an all-time high.

Background: Worsening climate change prospects

• According to IPCC Sixth Assessment Report from Working Group I, the past decade (2011-2020) was warmer by 1.09°C than the period from 1850 to 1900, and the 1.5°C global warming threshold is likely to be breached soon.
• The Global Climate Risk Index (2021) ranked India the seventh-most affected country by weather extremes.

India’s climate adaptation initiatives

• Dedicated initiatives towards adaptation: Such as the National Action Plan on Climate Change and the National Adaptation Fund.
• Policy focus: Achieving mitigation commitments of reducing emission intensity and enhancing renewable capacity.
• Ambitious targets: India is targeting 450 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and it has launched mega solar and green hydrogen missions.
• The Shoonya programme by NITI Aayog, which aims to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles.

Way forward: Adaptation planning needs to go beyond a business-as-usual approach

• Evolve a comprehensive plan: A development-centric approach that aligns climate change, food security, and livelihood perspectives and takes into consideration regional specificities is crucial for reducing poverty and distress migrations.
• Be more prepared for climate change with high-quality meteorological data: Premier research institutes can be roped in to develop regional climate projections for robust risk assessments.
• Sustainable production systems: Necessary to develop well-functioning markets for environmentally friendly products and disseminate them for the desired behavioural change.
• Encourage private sector participation for investment in adaptation technologies and for designing and implementing innovative climate services and solutions in areas such as agriculture, health, infrastructure, insurance and risk management.
• Protect mangroves and forests to address climate-related risks by blending traditional knowledge with scientific evidence and encourage local and non-state actors to actively participate.
• Major social protection schemes must be climate-proofed. Create resilient infrastructural assets, diversify the economy and enhance the adaptive capacity of rural households.
• Continuous monitoring and evaluation: Effective feedback mechanisms must be developed. Periodic fine-tuning of State Action Plans on Climate Change is crucial to systematically understand micro-level sensitivities, plan resource allocation, and design responses to serve at different levels of intensities of climate hazards.
• Proactive and timely need-based adaptation: Next-generation reforms will promote new business and climate service opportunities across several sectors and thus create a sustainable economy.