ADAPTATION IN INDIA
- Adaptation refers to the process of adjusting systems, practices, and policies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
- This is critical for nations like India, which is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including floods, droughts, and extreme weather events.
- The Economic Survey 2024-25 of India emphasized the importance of climate adaptation, yet it highlighted the lack of international climate finance for adaptation actions.
- It calls for stronger national support but, ironically, the 2025-26 Union Budget provides little focus on this.
UNION BUDGET 2025-26 & CLIMATE ADAPTATION
- In the Budget 2025-26, climate change and adaptation were given limited attention:
- The term ‘climate’ was mentioned only 3 times, but ‘adaptation’ was not mentioned once.
- Other critical terms like ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ were absent, despite India’s ranking as the 7th most vulnerable country to climate impacts globally.
- The speech only mentioned ‘resilience’ in a vague context, without specific measures tied to addressing climate change impacts.
- This raises concerns about the adequacy of India’s national efforts, given the severe and growing risks posed by climate change to the country’s economy, society, and livelihoods.
CHALLENGES IN FINANCING ADAPTATION
- Adaptation is not simply a sector-specific issue; it affects agriculture, water resources, health, and livelihoods.
- However, adaptation policies are often mistakenly treated as part of general development rather than a focused effort on climate resilience.
- Under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), several adaptation schemes, such as the National Adaptation Fund (NAF), National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), and Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), were significantly underfunded in the 2025-26 budget.
- These schemes were shifted from ‘scheme’ to ‘non-scheme’ status and placed under the secretariat budget without specific allocations, signaling a lack of dedicated funding for these crucial areas.
NATIONAL ADAPTATION FUND & ITS IMPACT
- NAF was designed to fund adaptation projects in vulnerable states, with a particular focus on agriculture and animal husbandry. However:
- Since 2022-23, there has been no budget allocation for the fund, undermining its critical role in addressing adaptation needs.
- In a Press Information Bureau (PIB) update (August 2024), it was revealed that the NAFCC (National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change) has been reduced to a non-scheme without clear reasons.
- This raises questions about the commitment to adaptation in India.
- A notable project under NAFCC, Climate Resilient Interventions in Dairy Sector in Andhra Pradesh, faced multiple implementation challenges, such as delays in land acquisition and resource management, undermining its potential impact.
REVISED MISSIONS & DECREASED ALLOCATIONS
- The National Coastal Mission, aimed at sustainable coastline management, had its budget drastically cut from Rs 8 crore to Rs 2 crore, demonstrating reduced priority for coastal adaptation.
- Similarly, the O-SMART scheme under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, crucial for studying the Indian Ocean’s changes and improving weather forecasting models, received no allocation in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
- This is concerning as better data is needed for climate change predictions and disaster management.
A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: MISSION MAUSAM
- Mission Mausam launched in September 2024, is a significant step toward climate resilience.
- With a budget allocation of Rs 2,000 crore (2024-2026), it aims to make India a ‘Weather-ready and Climate-smart’ nation. The key elements of Mission Mausam are:
- 50 Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) and 100 disdrometers to improve weather forecasting and climate resilience.
- Establishment of research stations for continuous monitoring of weather patterns and extreme weather events across the nation.
- This initiative aims to improve early warning systems and strengthen community resilience to the increasingly erratic weather patterns caused by global warming.
NATIONAL MISSION FOR GREEN INDIA: AN UPTICK IN FUNDING
- The National Mission for Green India (NMGI) received an increase in allocation to Rs 220 crore for 2025-26 (up from Rs 160 crore in 2024-25). The mission focuses on:
- Afforestation and fire prevention efforts across India.
This increase signals a positive shift in recognizing the need for natural carbon sequestration and ecosystem-based adaptation, which are essential for climate resilience.
THE NEED FOR FURTHER ACTION
- Despite some positive steps like Mission Mausam and increased funding for NMGI, India’s adaptation strategy still lacks sufficient focus, funds, and a comprehensive approach to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.
- The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which was introduced in 2008, has not been updated to reflect the new climate realities, especially as the impacts of climate change intensify across sectors.
- Dedicated funding for programs such as NAFCC, O-SMART, and National Coastal Mission is needed to ensure that adaptation is not an afterthought but a core priority in India’s development framework.
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