IPCC Report on Climate Change

• IPCC periodically prepares comprehensive Assessment Reports on the state of knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts and response options.

IPCC Report

• Assessments are based on the extant scientific literature available at the time.
• Scientists from all over the world, including India, contribute to the preparation of IPCC Assessment Reports.
• The IPCC is currently in its Sixth Assessment cycle and has completed two reports so far, released in August 2021, by Working Group I and in February 2022 by Working Group II.
• The report also notes that vulnerability and the burden of adaptation is highest for those who have contributed the least to global warming.
• India is one of the leading examples of this, having contributed so far only about 4% of global cumulative emissions.

Global hotspots of high human vulnerability

• Centraland East Africa,
• South Asia,
• Central and South America,
• Small Island Developing States and the Arctic.
• Asia is identified as one of regions most vulnerable to climate change, especially on extreme heat, flooding, sea level rise, and erratic rainfall.

Indian Initiatives

• The Government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which is the overarching policy framework for climate action in India.
• It covers mitigation, adaptation and generation of strategic knowledge on climate change.

NAPCC

• It comprises national missions in the specific areas of:

1. Solar energy,
2. Enhanced energy efficiency,
3. Water,
4. Agriculture,
5. The Himalayan ecosystem,
6. Sustainable habitat,
7. Green India and
8. Strategic knowledge on climate change.

• Most of these missions are adaptation focussed.
• 33 States/Union Territories have prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC.
• The Government is also implementing the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change to support adaptation measures of States/UTs in areas that are particularly vulnerable.

The Disaster Management Act, 2005

• It articulates the need for mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into development planning.
• The central government has established a robust early warning system and has significantly enhanced accuracy of weather forecasts.
• Forecasting agencies are continuing their efforts for improvement of warning and dissemination systems vigorously.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) supports National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)/State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA) in framing necessary guidelines with respect to different extreme weather events.

The Disaster Preparedness

• It includes:

1. Publication of various guidelines on different disasters by NDMA,
2. Setting up of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for prompt response and pre- positioning of NDRF in disaster vulnerable areas,
3. Encouraging States to set-up their own State Disaster Response Forces.
4. Conducting mock drills and workshops for effectively responding to disasters,
5. Carrying out capacity building of disaster professionals and communities by NDMA, NDRF and National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).

Conclusion

• A number of other measures are taken for threat of climate change, by various departments, ministries and entities of the Government as regular mandated activities and responsibilities.
• These are periodically shared with all stakeholders and the world through India’s National Communications and Biennial Update Reports submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.