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Tackle Climate Change

Tackle Climate Change- Relevance for UPSC Exam

  • GS Paper 3: Environment– Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.

UPSC Current Affairs

 

Tackle Climate Change- Background

 

IPCC report’s Sixth Assessment Report

 

Tackle Climate Change – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report

  • On Global Warming: The past decade (2011-2020) was warmer by 1.09°C than the period from 1850 to 1900.
  • Prediction: IPCC report predicts that the 1.5°C global warming threshold is likely to be breached soon.
  • On India: The IPCC report warns India against more intense heat waves, heavy monsoons and rises in weather extremes in the future.
    • Extreme weathers: The Global Climate Risk Index (2021) ranked India the seventh-most affected country by weather extremes.

Bureaucracy’s Digital Challenge

 

Tackle Climate Change- Adaptation strategies by India

  • India is targeting 450 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030 and it has launched mega solar and green hydrogen missions.
  • Shoonya program by NITI Aayog: aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, is yet another effort towards the adoption of clean technologies.
  • Other adaptation strategies: India has some dedicated initiatives towards adaptation, such as the National Action Plan on Climate Change and the National Adaptation Fund.

Stronger at the Grassroots- Making Disaster Resilience an Inherent Part of Community Culture

 

Tackle Climate Change – Way Forward

  • Breakthrough on adaptation and resilience actions is needed to save hard-earned developmental gains and adjust to new climate conditions.
  • Adaptation planning needs to go beyond a business-as-usual approach:
    • 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.
    • Governance at different levels needs to understand, plan, coordinate, integrate and act to reduce vulnerability and exposure.
  • Strengthen adaptation and resilience:
    • Improved early warning systems and forecasting: will help India better prepare for climate change with high-quality meteorological data.
    • Premier research institutes can be roped in to develop regional climate projections for robust risk assessments.
  • Develop well-functioning markets for environmentally friendly products and disseminate them for the desired behavioural change.
    • This will result in the development of sustainable production systems.
  • Encourage private sector participation: this will help in 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.
  • Ensure climate-proofed social protection schemes: to create resilient infrastructural assets, diversify the economy and enhance the adaptive capacity of rural households.
  • Effective feedback mechanisms: will help in continuous monitoring and evaluation and provide opportunities for mid-course correction.
    • 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.

Peace at the Heart of Education

 

Tackle Climate Change- Conclusion

  • A more collaborative approach towards climate change adaptation is crucial. Next-generation reforms will promote new business and climate service opportunities across several sectors and thus create a sustainable economy.

 

Hunar Haat

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