adaptation presentation- 19 dec 2014-...

Vulnerable India

Mainstreaming adaptation and building resilience

- CHANDRA BHUSHAN -

Centre for Science and Environment

Climate change impacting natural and human systems, exacerbating vulnerability • 0.7˚C temperature increase over 20th century;

Warmest decade (2000-2010) on record

• Significant increase in the frequency, persistency and spatial coverage of high temperature extreme eventsp g g p

• Heavy rainfall events (> 100 mm/day) and very heavy events (>150 mm/day) increasingevents ( 150 mm/day) increasing

• Evidence of decrease in rice and wheat yield due to increase in minimum temperature; decrease in appleincrease in minimum temperature; decrease in apple productivity and shifting of orchards to higher altitude; reduction in milk production due to heat stress

• Increase in malaria and movement of mosquitoes to higher altitudes


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Battered by extreme events; Rs 1,000 crore loss events becoming common g


Losses are mounting; adaptation costs 10% of GDP by the end of the century• Climate induced losses in India: $80-90 billion/ year • GOI estimates: 2.6% of GDP on adaptation in 2012;GOI estimates: 2.6% of GDP on adaptation in 2012;

no estimates of loss & damage due to extreme events• CSE: Close to 10,000 people died in last 2 years due , p p y

to extreme events; at least Rs 1,00,000 crore lost• ADB estimates that 10% of GDP would be spent on p

adapting to climate by the end of the century• Adaptation Gap Report: Costs underestimated; could

be $250-500 billion by 2050 for developing countries• There is not going to be much international support

for adaptation for India; we will have to manage ourselves – very difficult


Multi-dimensional vulnerability of India: More poor people than all the poor of all the Least Developed Countries dependent on climate sensitive sectors


Additional temperature increase of 0.3˚C-0.7˚C till 2016-35 relative to 1986-2005


Is India prepared for climate change?

• National Action Plan: Weak on adaptation• National Action Plan: Weak on adaptation• State Action Plans: Sustainable development plans,

can be further improved; but no clarity on the howcan be further improved; but no clarity on the how, what and who of implementation

• MNREGA: Enormous potential to reduce the pvulnerability by building climate-resilient assets

• Crop insurance and weather advisory• National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture

(NICRA): Similar initiatives for other sectors as well

• Wanted to understand what is happening on the ground – good practices, maladaptation – sentground good practices, maladaptation sent people across the country to study and report


The Indo-Gangetic plain


The Indo Gangetic plain

Punjab law addresses water scarcityPunjab and Haryana

The Punjab preservation of Sub soil act 2009 has succeeded in reducing the depletion rate of the sub soil water. No farmer shall sow or transplant in their nursery before the notified dates. Farmers violating the law will be liable to a penalty of Rs 10 000 per hectare per


law will be liable to a penalty of Rs 10,000 per hectare per


NREGS helps resurrect river Fatehpur district, Uttar Pradesh

Revival of the 46-km-long rivulet Sasur Khaderi-2 between April 15, 2013 and June 15, 2013. The initiative undertaken was local administration



Drinking water during floods North Bihar

Megh Pyne Abhiyan, campaign worked with local communities to alleviate drinking water stress and improve sanitation practices


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The Indian Himalayan Region



First of its kind – payment for eco system services Palampur, Himachal Pradesh

Payment for eco-services system, helps reduce water conflict by institutionalising through a legal partnership structure to incentivize rural communities to protect catchment areas


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Traditional multi cropping agriculture system H i Hi h l P d hHamirpur, Himachal Pradesh

Obsession for monoculture has taken a toll in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Traditional agricultural system of growing several crops in one field ensured food security even in adverse weather


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School children learn flood preparednessDhemaji, Assam

Students trained in planning for and reducing risks of disaster pass on their learning to local communities


The Desert Region


The Desert Region

Housing for extremeHousing for extreme weather event Barmer, Rajasthan

SEEDS NGO build innovative housing structures which can help cope with future disasters in Rajasthan’s Barmer (after being struck by sudden flash flood)


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The Desert Region

Traditional adaptive practice of pagaraaK li R j thKarauli, Rajasthan

Revival of the traditional adaptive practice of pagaraa has helped conserve soil and strengthen livelihood in Nivera village in Rajasthan


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The Desert Region

Revival of pasture land Udaipur, Rajasthan

Practice of revival of the traditional common pasture land, which helped strengthen livelihoods in Chhaperiya village in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, as major population is dependent on livestock.


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The Coast and Islands



Sunderban people copeSunderban people cope with the fragile ecosystem Sunderban, West Bengal

Sundarbans’ fragile ecosystem, coupled with underdevelopment, makes it especially vulnerable to climate change. Documented how people are coping with changing climatic patterns affecting natural

Centre for Science and Environmentsystems , Social insecurity


People protect mangrove Kendrapara, Odisha

Residents of coastal Kendrapada are protecting their mangroves, which shield them from cyclones. With climate change pushing them to the brink, they are also reviving traditional ponds and cultivating flood resistant paddy and fish


flood resistant paddy and fish


Rising sea level an everyday reality Satyabhaya , Odisha

A 20-km stretch at Satabhaya in Kendrapada district is said to be the fastest eroding beach on the Odisha coast. More than 1,200 homes and large tracts of agricultural land have been wiped out by rising sea levels. More than 60 per cent of the population of around 4,000 has migrated, and most of the remaining villagers are considering leaving.


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Kagga -traditional flood resistant rice variety Uttar Kannada, Karnataka

This rice variety from Uttara Kannada can withstand brackish water, and could be a boon in this region which is projected to see some climate change impacts. But kagga is on the brink of extinction.


Central and Peninsular India



Lac- cultivation –lucrative Jharkhand

In Jharkhand, scientists have found a way to bring back farmers to the production of lac, which has the potential to trigger an economic windfall for its farmers and the state



Bewar and penda – traditional cultivation

Dindori and Mandla , Madhya Pradesh and Gadchiroli, Maharashtra

Faced with erratic rain and extreme weather, tribal farmers of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh turn to bewar and penda cultivation that keeps them nourished through the year. The strange thing is, the practise is outlawed by an Act


practise is outlawed by an Act


Weather based agro services Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

Weather-based agro-advisories come to the rescue of farmers in Maharashtra as they grapple with erratic weather brought on by climate change



Gonchi- Reviving ancient irrigation system g yAnantapur, Andhra Pradesh

Gonchi is a unique practice of diverting water by gravity from natural streams and rivers and sharing it equitably among farmers in the command area of the channel. The system was developed by local people more than 300 years ago


people more than 300 years ago

How and what of adaptation?

I t l t f li t h d l t• Incremental costs of climate change on development is going to increase – making development more expensiveexpensive

• Climate change will widen existing gaps and create new “poverty traps”new “poverty traps”

• Without sufficient mitigation efforts globally, and even with adaptation, climate variability will start diminishing “developmental gains”

• “Beyond adaptation” scenario will become reality for many sensitive areas like coasts



Add i l bilit d b ildi th ili f• Addressing vulnerability and building the resilience of the poor to climate variability is not new for India.

• Huge experience – some good and some bad – to address poverty taking into account climate variability

watershed management agroforestry soil moisture– watershed management, agroforestry, soil moisture conservation, drought proofing, employment guarantee etcguarantee etc.

• What changes now is pace and uncertainty of change and frequency and intensity of extreme eventsand frequency and intensity of extreme events

• Adaptation is about doing development better (s stainabl ) and faster taking into acco nt(sustainably) and faster taking into account climate variability and responses



I t li th i i k d b li t h• Internalize the serious risk posed by climate change• Impacts will be local and adaptation will have to be

designed implemented and owned locally movedesigned, implemented and owned locally – move towards “effective decentralisation” from “centralised decentralisation”decentralisation

• Mainstreaming climate change responses into existing policies, processes, programmes and g p p p ginstitutions; no need for a separate silo for adaptation

• Strengthen social safety nets• Scrutinize global policies and mechanisms for their

impact on the poor• Promote, share knowledge, disseminate and build

capacity on adaptation practices


adaptation presentation- 19 dec 2014-...

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