Lok Sabha Question No. 2427 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-13
Subject: Impact of Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2427

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.12.2021

## Impact of Climate Change

## 2427.   SHRIMATI  RANJANBEN  DHANANJAY  BHATT:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the outbreak of floods is increasing due to climate change;
- (b) if so, whether the Government proposes to take any steps to reduce climate change;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)          There  is  no  established  study  for  India  providing  a  quantified  attribution  of  climate change leading to increased outbreak of floods. While many studies monitor disasters such as floods, drought and heat, the science of attribution of these changes particularly to climate change is far more complex and currently an evolving subject. Most studies so far have relied on  mathematical  modelling  of  climate  change  impacts  but  these  are  yet  to  be  empirically verified.

The  occurrence  of  floods  can  be  attributed  to  various  factors,  including  wide variations in rainfall both in time and space with frequent departures from the normal pattern, inadequate  carrying  capacities  of  rivers,  river  bank  erosion  and  silting  of  river  beds, landslides, poor natural drainage in flood prone areas, snowmelt and glacial lake out-bursts.

(b) to (d)Climate change is a global collective action problem. India with more than 17% of the global population has contributed only about 4% of the global cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 1850 and 2017.Reports from various sources, including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, highlight that the challenges faced due to global warming are mainly due to cumulative historical and current greenhouse gas emissions of the developed countries. Even though, we are not part of the problem, India is part of the solution and has done more than its fair share. India firmly believes in the global cooperation to deal with  climate  change  challenge  through  multilateral  processes.  The  Government  stands committed  to  combating  climate  change  through  its  several  programs  and  schemes.  This includes implementation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which comprises  missions  in  specific  areas  of  solar  energy,  energy  efficiency,  water,  agriculture,

Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, green India, and strategic knowledge on climate change. The NAPCC provides an overarching framework for all climate actions. Thirty-three States/Union Territories have prepared their State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with NAPCC taking into account the State specific issues relating to climate change. These SAPCCs  outline  sector-specific and crosssectoral priority actions, including adaptation. The Government is also implementing the scheme, 'National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change' to support adaptation measures of States/UTs in areas that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate Change.

India  is  a  Party  to  the  Paris  Agreement  and  has  ambitious  Nationally  Determined Contributions  (NDCs)  for  combating  climate  change.  India  is  on  track  to  meet  its  NDCs, which are compatible with a well-below-2°C scenario. Further, the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India at the recent 26 th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) offered India's vision to the global brainstorming on  meeting  the  challenge  of  climate  change  by  presenting  to  the  world  the  following  five nectar elements (Panchamrit) of climate action by India:

- (i) India will reach its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030.
- (ii) India  will  meet  50  percent  of  its  energy  requirements  from  renewable  energy  by 2030.
- (iii) India  will  reduce  the  total  projected  carbon  emissions  by  one  billion  tonnes  from now onwards till 2030.
- (iv) By  2030,  India  will  reduce  the  carbon  intensity  of  its  economy  by  less  than  45 percent.
- (v) By the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero.

*****