Climate
change: Time to take action
With natural
calamities on the rise, it is without reasonable doubt that climate change is
real. No matter what people may believe, climate change is happening and India
should buckle up to at least minimise natural tragedies like the one in Jammu
& Kashmir. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s
(IPCC) recent annual report, the global temperature is going to increase by 2
to 3 degrees by 2030. Climate change is no longer a notion but comes with
scientific facts and data.
The good thing
about climate change is that its impacts are predictable and human actions can
restore such changes over a period of time. However, the bad news is that more
than half of India’s population does not have much knowledge about climate
change and an overwhelming sentiment is that since we are a developing nation,
we need to first get admitted into the ‘developed club’, i.e. we can still
release substantial amounts of carbon emissions, and fulfil our ‘superpower’
dreams.
The impacts of
climate change over India are pretty diverse. In Assam, incessant rains are
creating havoc, loss of life and property with each passing day. Similarly, the
rain is playing hide and seek with Delhi with highly unpredictable rainfall
patterns.
In the hilly
parts of the country, landslides too are becoming a regular phenomenon,
courtesy - massive deforestation. In pursuit of development, we are busy
chasing foreign investment, and the recent ‘Make in India’ campaign simply
shows India’s lethargic approach over fighting climate change. It is a helpless
situation where one is witness to such stark environmental changes and is not
able to do anything about it.
The need of the
hour is a reality check.
Currently, India
is focussing more on its developmental needs which seems justified when we look
at the percentage of the poor and the unemployed. But, development would be
justified only if environment is sustained. A recent World Health Organization
report cited that Delhi’s air is so polluted that breathing here is equivalent
to being a chain smoker.
The National
State Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released in 2009. The objective
of the action plan was to come out with a comprehensive framework to address
climate change and bring in mitigation and adaptation approaches to policy–making
processes. All the states have been asked to develop a State Action Plan on
Climate Change. In 2014, only seven states have their action plans. Work
towards tackling climate change is underway but the pace is very slow. Numerous
studies by organisations like Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Climate and Development Knowledge Network
(CDKN) etc. and Central governmental agencies like the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate
Change, have analysed the vulnerabilities from a climate change perspective
and say that the rural poor will face the most impacts of a changing climate.
At the least,
India will have to follow five important approaches to strengthening its stand
on tackling climate change.
The first and
foremost approach of policy makers should be to lay stress on the dissemination
of knowledge on climate change and creating awareness amongst people.
Second,
adaptation and mitigation have to be given more importance. According to Climate
Action, EU, "adaptation means anticipating the adverse effects of
climate change and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise the damage
they can cause, or taking advantage of opportunities that may arise. It has
been shown that well planned, early adaptation action saves money and lives
later."
Whereas
according to United
Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), “Climate Change Mitigation refers
to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation can
mean using new technologies and renewable energies, making older equipment more
energy efficient, or changing management practices or consumer behaviour. It
can be as complex as a plan for a new city or as a simple as improvements to a
cook stove design. Efforts underway around the world range from high-tech
subway systems to bicycling paths and walkways. Protecting natural carbon sinks
like forests and oceans, or creating new sinks through green agriculture are
also elements of mitigation".
The policy
makers have to keep these two approaches in mind while formulating climate
change policies since now it is about limiting and adjusting the damages rather
than repairing it.
Third,
strengthening the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is of upmost
importance. The NDMA is the backbone, in terms of rehabilitating the nation in
the event of any natural or manmade calamity. With increasing climate change
induced disasters, the NDMA needs to be strengthened to be able to minimise the
loss of lives and property by taking effective steps. A stronger NDMA will
provide better and faster rehabilitation approaches.
There is a need
to employ a multi-dimensional approach in analysing climate change in the
Indian context. For instance, the fact that the National Action Plan for
Climate Change (NAPCC) recognises the relationship of climate change and gender
but there is no concrete approach on tackling climate change’s impact on
gender, which is of grave concern.
Policy makers
need to broaden their horizon and look for unconventional as well as
conventional ways of inculcating adaptation and mitigation into policy making.
Similarly, other sectors like health, renewable technology, agriculture,
forestry, industries, and water issues require equal attention which is only possible
by creating separate departments for strengthening each sector without any
administrative and jurisdictional confusion.
Also special
consideration and attention need to be placed on the diversity of the country.
Applying one particular approach on the whole nation will only worsen the
strengthening process. The topography, demography has to be taken into
consideration as well as the rural urban divide. Therefore any approach or step
should be aimed at being context-specific to maximise its impact.
Lastly, the
government must push for a carbon neutral economy. As a developing country, the
impetus is on attaining a developed status. There is no problem in pursuing
development but the pursuit becomes a constraint if the cost for development is
a degraded environment. A carbon neutral economy will sustain development and
environmental restoration simultaneously. Subsidising renewable technology is
one way of embarking on the path towards a carbon neutral economy.
The climate is
changing and will continue to change. Therefore it is we, the people, who have
to take the responsibility of restoring the environment. It is a fact we all
need to realise. At the end of the day, a healthy GDP, better economy, high
standard of living etc. is only valid if we have a liveable atmosphere.
Complacency is not going to save the world. Actions will. We can’t wait till
tomorrow. This is our only home.
The path is full of uncertainties but there has
to be a start somewhere.
