National Action Plan on Climate Change

Before the G8 Summit in Tokyo in 2008 and the Conference of Parties in Copenhagen in 2009, the administration desired a climate change strategy. Since the NAPCC was created in a hurry, the policy included goals in general but didn't address how to get there. It took the relevant ministries six additional years to ratify the mission. A new government was established during that time period, and the old guard was replaced.

The new administration announced a number of initiatives to combat climate change, although it did not align with NAPCC.

What is National Action Plan on Climate Change?

On June 30th, 2008, the National Action Plan on Climate Change received its official debut. The NAPCC pinpoints actions that advance development goals while simultaneously producing side effects necessary for successfully combating climate change.

The initiative's duration has been increased to 2025–2026 as part of the Climate Change Action Program. It has eight major sub-components, including the coordination of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), the National Institute on Climate Change Studies & Actions (NICA), the National Carbonaceous Aerosols Programme (NCAP), the Long Term Ecological Observations (LTEO), international negotiations, and capacity building.

The NAPCC is composed primarily of eight "National Missions." They put special emphasis on fostering knowledge of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, energy efficiency, and resource preservation.

Here are the eight missions under NAPCC

Mission Solar National

• The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) is another name for the National Solar Mission (NSM).

• The development of solar energy in India is a project of both the central and state governments.

• The National Solar Mission is one of the eight climate missions the Indian government has established as part of its mitigation strategy for the NAPCC (National Action Plan on Climate Change).

• The National Solar Mission presently asserts a goal of 100 GW of solar PV by 2022 after being first proposed in January 2010 and undergoing two changes since then.

• JNNSM intends to position India as a solar energy leader on a global scale by creating the policy environment for its extensive deployment.

Enhanced National Energy Efficiency Mission

• The major goal of the mission is to create laws and regulations that will help the industry for energy efficiency grow.

• The National Mission For Enhanced Energy Efficiency also intends to assist brand-new, eco-friendly business ideas for the sector.

• In order to promote the market for energy efficiency, the Indian government set out to stimulate the creation of cutting-edge market instruments and rules.

• The launch of this mission was supported by the Energy Conservation Act of 2001.

• This law aims to solve problems that are connected to or arise from the effective use of energy, its conservation, and associated difficulties.

National Sustainable Housing Mission

The Mission's three-pronged strategy aims to increase the sustainability of ecosystems

• Improvements in the residential and commercial construction sectors' energy efficiency

• Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW)

• Encourage public transit in cities

Mission National Water

The National Water Mission uses integrated water resource management to conserve water, reduce waste, and ensure a more fair distribution. To boost water use efficiency by 20%, the Water Mission will create a framework. Increasing surface and subterranean water storage, collecting rainwater, and using more effective irrigation systems like sprinklers or drip irrigation are some of the techniques suggested to deal with variations in rainfall and river flows.

The National Himalayan Ecosystem Maintenance Mission

The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, which is overseen by the Ministry of Science and Technology, was established in 2010.

• Among the eight national missions of the NAPCC, the National Mission on Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) is the sole area-specific mission.

• The mission's primary objective is to support policy-making authorities in their work, assist States in the Indian Himalayan Region in implementing the actions selected for sustainable development, and build a sustainable national capacity to frequently monitor the health of the Himalayan Ecosystem.

India's National Green Mission

This mission strives to improve ecological functions like carbon sinks. It expands on the "Green India" initiative of the Prime Minister, which aims to afforest 6 million hectares and reach the national goal of a 33% increase in the area covered by forests. Joint Forest Management Committees established under state departments of forests are to apply it to degraded forest land. These committees will support community-wide initiatives.

National Sustainable Agriculture Mission

By finding novel crops, particularly thermally tolerant ones, and alternative cropping patterns, the goal is to make Indian agriculture more climates change-resistant. Integration of conventional knowledge and practical systems, information technology and biotechnology, as well as new finance and insurance processes, are all intended to facilitate this.

National Mission on Strategic Climate Change Knowledge

Through a number of mechanisms, this Mission seeks to collaborate with the global community on research and technology development. In addition, it will have its own research agenda supported by a network of institutions and universities that are specifically focused on climate change, as well as a Climate Research Fund. The Mission will also support projects from the business sector to create cutting-edge technology for adaptation and mitigation.

Salient Features

It is guided by the following principles -

• Protection of the most vulnerable and underprivileged members of society through a climate change-aware, inclusive, and sustainable development plan.

• Improvements in ecological sustainability brought about by qualitative changes in national growth.

• Deployment of suitable technology at a rapid and extensive rate for both adaptation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Mechanisms that encourage voluntary cooperation and regulation to promote market innovation and sustainable development

• Implementing a strategy effectively requires the use of unique linkages, such as those made through public-private partnerships with local governments and the community.

• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should promote international IPR regulation and provide adequate funds for research, development, interchange, and transfer of data and technologies (UNFCCC).

Conclusion

Even though these issues have drawn criticism, they also present a chance for us to discuss how to address climate change in India and choose the best course of action for mainstreaming the issue. India has the chance to make significant adjustments as well because it is still in the early stages of growth and contributes little to the changing climatic circumstances. It can move toward a low-carbon economy by leveraging cutting-edge technology.

FAQs

Q1. What is India's policy on climate change?

Ans. Aim to achieve around 50% of the total installed capacity of electric power from non-fossil fuel-based energy sources by 2030; reduce the emissions intensity of India's GDP by 45% by 2030.

Q2. Which city in India has released first a climate action plan?

Ans. With the title "Towards a Climate Resilient Mumbai," the city just unveiled it’s first-ever Climate Action Plan for 2022. It describes the plans to achieve net-zero carbon neutrality by 2050, which would be the biggest advancement in its fight against climate change to yet.

Q3. WHO launched national action plan on climate change?

Ans. On June 30, 2008, the Indian government unveiled its National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which outlined eight National Missions on the issue. These consist of: Mission Solar National.

Q4. When was India's national action plan on climate change?

Ans. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released by the Prime Minister on 30th June 2008.