Enhancing adaptive capacity to climate change
A top-down approach to planning with local participation is critical for coping with global warming. A recently held conference in the Indian capital focused on community adaptation with regard to energy, water and land use through information, training and awareness.
New Delhi: Climate Change has always been an issue of sustainable development. Developing countries like India are vulnerable to climate changes for their dependency on sectors like Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry etc.
Therefore, in order to secure the livelihoods of the rural poor and vulnerable communities affected by climate related stress, a National Policy Dialogue on Adaptation to Climate Change was held from November 10-11, 2008 in the Indian capital
In an attempt to resolve the climate crisis before it gets worse and out of control, various agencies came together with the soul purpose of enhancing the adaptive capacity of the local communities.
The National Policy Dialogue was addressed by Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Vilas B. Muttemwar, Minister of State for New and Renewal Energy.
In a vulnerable Indian subcontinent, the breakdown of economies due to climate change would result in emerging flashpoints. It would also impact severely on agriculture.
In this context, the project on Vulnerability Assessment and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Regions of India” is an innovative idea funded by SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation of the Swiss Foreign Ministry) being currently implemented in Mahabubnagar in Andhra Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan.
The project’s objective is to mitigate climate change and enhance the adaptive capacity of the local communities, improve delivery systems, promote multi-level policy dialogues and general awareness to climate related impacts.
The focus areas are Agriculture, Water and Rural Energy. The whole process, starting from documentation of the findings at the community level to translating the findings for enhanced adaptive capacities at a local level and creating optimised extension systems is being managed by an international consortium of partners like INFRAS and Intercooperation.
The institutional arrangement is led by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) looking at research, outreach and policy dialogue) and implemented by AFPRO (grass-roots level implementation and community mobilisation) and MANAGE (training, curriculum development and extension related support).
“The project is empowered by ensuring access to high quality information, increasing resilience of livelihoods and infrastructure at the community level. Mainstreaming climate risk management across planning and development processes and decisions by providing situational analysis reports, climate data analysis, vulnerability map and assessment tools is the motive”, says Prof. M S Swaminathan, Chairman, MSSRF and Member of Parliament.
The focus is on the need for action at the community level which is large and growing, with only a few practical examples of support for climate change adaptation at the community level.
The project highlights the need for education regarding climate changes and its adaptability for agricultural growth at a local level.
