Lok Sabha Question No. 1231 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Integrated Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shardaben Anilbhai Patel, Mitesh Rameshbhai (Bakabhai) Patel

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1231

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Integrated Climate Adaptation and Mitigation

## 1231.   SHRIMATI SHARDABEN ANILBHAI PATEL: SHRI MITESH RAMESHBHAI PATEL (BAKABHAI):

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

- (a) whether long-term strategies are being considered to adapt the temperature change in the coming years and to mitigate its impact on health, agriculture and other sectors;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any research and development has been made to identify new technologies and  solutions  to  address  the  impact  of  climate  change  on  various  sectors  and  the manner  in  which  Government  is  supporting  these  innovations,  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (d) whether Government has integrated climate adaptation and mitigation considerations into its policies and decision-making across different sectors, if so, the mechanisms available for ensuring its effective implementation?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (d)  In  order  to  address  the  challenge  of  climate  change  including  global  rise  in temperature,  India  has  submitted  its  Long-Term  Low-Carbon  Development  Strategy  to  the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in November 2022. It includes section  on  'Adaptation  and  Resilience'  which  reviews  climate  impacts  in  India,  provides details  on  adaptation  strategies,  and  linkages  between  adaptation and  mitigation.  There are potential  inter  linkages  between  the  climate  change  impacts,  mitigation  and  adaptation activities, and the developmental outcomes, recognition of which can help identify climateresilient development pathways.

Government  of  India  stands  committed  to  combating  climate  change  through  its  several programmes and schemes including the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which  comprises  missions  in  specific  areas  of  solar  energy,  energy  efficiency,  water, sustainable  agriculture,  health,  Himalayan  ecosystem,  sustainable  habitat,  green  India,  and strategic knowledge for climate change. The NAPCC provides an overarching framework for all  climate  actions.  Under  the  aforesaid  Missions,  a  number  of  R&D  projects  have  been supported in climate change studies across India to assess the  impact of climate change on coastal vulnerability, health, agriculture and water.

The impact of climate change on different sectors is being assessed by the relevant Ministries from time to time. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has initiated a network project, National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) in 2011 to study and address the impact of climate change on Indian agriculture. As per the studies under NICRA, rainfed rice yields in India are projected to reduce marginally (<2.5%) in 2050 and 2080 and irrigated rice yields by 7% in 2050 and 10% in 2080 scenarios. Wheat yield is projected to reduce by 6-25% in 2100 and maize yield by 18-23%.  Climate change is likely to benefit chickpeas with an increase in productivity (23-54%).

The Ministry of Health  and Family Welfare is taking  several measures  under  the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health, which was approved under the National Health Mission in February 2019.

Further, the Department of Science and Technology is implementing two national missions under  NAPCC,  namely  National  Mission  for  Sustaining  the  Himalayan  Ecosystem  and National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.

The  Government  stands  committed  in  addressing  the  global  collective  action  problem  of climate change through multilateralism and resolute domestic actions, including, improving the understanding of the subject through various research endeavors. The Government is fully aware that research and knowledge generation are critical aspects of the fight against climate change. Further, climate change is a cross-cutting issue spanning various Ministries/Departments  and  institutions  under  them.  Research  on  climate  change  is  mainly sponsored by the DST, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Ministry of Environment, Forest and  Climate  Change  (MoEFCC),  Indian Space Research Organisation  (ISRO), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Sectoral aspects  of  climate  change  are  also  studied  by  different  Ministries/Departments  concerning sectors like agriculture, water resources, human health, power, renewable energy, transport, urban, etc. Further, a large number of universities and government research institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Central and State Universities and their departments also carry out climate change related research.

The DST is funding techno-endeavors for promoting high-end basic Research Development & Innovation  in  cutting-edge  technologies.  The  DST  is  investing  on  the  identification  and adoption  of  the  right  balance  of  the  portfolio  of  emission  curtailment  technologies.  It  is contributing to mitigation and adaptation pathways  through its Clean Energy  Research and Climate Change Research initiatives with focus on developing national research competence to  drive  down  the  cost  of  clean  energy  through  pre-competitive  translational  research  and solution-oriented  research  led  disruptive  innovations.  The  key  areas  are  Green  Hydrogen, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), high efficiency solar PV and Solar Thermal devices and system. The emphasis is to evolve technologies and methodologies that address issues related  to  high capital costs, safety, logistics and high  auxiliary power consumption. Department  has  endeavoured  in  priority  mode  in  Green  Hydrogen  domain.  The  DST  has supported R&D project on Technology Need Assessment to relook into the technology needs for priority sectors such as power and energy, industry, transport, agriculture, waste sector.