National Action Plan On Climate Change

The Government of India formulated national plan on water, renewable energy, energy efficiency agriculture and others – bundled with additional ones – into a set of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. The Action Plan was released on 30th June 2008 to address the future policies and programs for the climate mitigation and adaptation.

India’s National Action Plan On Climate Change

• The National Action Plan hinges on the development and use of new technologies.
• The implementation of the Plan include public private partnerships and civil society action.
• The focus will be on promoting understanding of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, energy efficiency and natural resource conservation.
• There are Eight National Missions which form the core of the National Action Plan.

1. National Solar Mission
2. National Mission On Sustainable Habitat
3. National Water Mission (NWM)
4. National Mission For Sustaining The Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)
5. National Mission For A Green India
6. National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
7. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC)
8. National Bio-Energy Mission

National Solar Mission

• The National Solar Mission is a major initiative to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India’s energy security challenge.
• The Mission will adopt a 3-phase approach:

1. spanning the remaining period of the 11th Plan and first year of the 12th Plan (up to 2012-13) as Phase 1,
2. the remaining 4 years of the 12th Plan (2013-17) as Phase 2 and
3. the 13th Plan (2017-22) as Phase 3.

• At the end of each plan there will be an evaluation of progress.

Objectives

• To establish India as a global leader in solar energy, by creating the policy conditions for its diffusion across the country as quickly as possible.
• To create an enabling policy framework for the deployment of 100,000 MW of solar power by 2022.
• To create favorable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership.

National Mission For Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE)

• NMEEE seeks to strengthen the market for energy efficiency by creating conducive regulatory and policy regime.
• NMEEE has been envisaged to foster innovative and sustainable business models to the energy efficiency sector.
• The NMEEE seeks to create and sustain markets for energy efficiency in the entire country which will benefit the country and the consumers”.

National Mission On Sustainable Habitat

• “National Mission on Sustainable Habitat” seeks to promote sustainability of habitats through improvements in energy efficiency in buildings, urban planning, improved management of solid and liquid waste, modal shift towards public transport and conservation through appropriate changes in legal and regulatory framework.
• It also seeks to improve ability of habitats to adapt to climate change by improving resilience of infrastructure, community based disaster management and measures for improving advance warning systems for extreme weather events.

National Water Mission (NWM) Mission

• Ensuring integrated water resource management for conservation of water, minimization of wastage and equitable distribution both across and within states.
• Developing a framework for optimum water use through increase in water use efficiency by 20% through regulatory mechanisms with differential entitlements and pricing, taking the National Water Policy (NWP) into consideration.
• Ensuring that a considerable share of water needs of urban areas is met through recycling of waste water.
• Meeting water requirements of coastal cities through the adoption of new and appropriate technologies such as low-temperature desalination technologies allowing use of ocean water.
• Revisiting NWP to ensure basin-level management strategies to deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
• Developing new regulatory structures to optimize efficiency of existing irrigation systems.

National Mission For Sustaining The Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE)

Primary objectives

• Develop a sustainable National capacity to continuously assess the health status of the Himalayan Ecosystem
• Assist States in the Indian Himalayan Region with their implementation of actions selected for sustainable development.

National Mission For A Green India

Mission Objectives

• Increased forest/tree cover on 5 million hectares (ha) of forest/non-forest lands and improved quality of forest cover on another 5 million ha of non-forest/forest lands (a total of 10 million ha)
• Improved ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services, and carbon sequestration from the 10 million ha of forest/ non-forest lands mentioned above
• Increased forest-based livelihood income of about 3 million households, living in and around the forests
• Enhanced annual CO2 sequestration by 50 to 60 million tons in the year 2020.

National Mission on Seabuckthorn

• Seabuckthorn plant is popularly known as Leh berries.
• The MoEF and DRDO have launched a major national initiative for seabuckthorn cultivation in the high-altitude, cold desert ecosystems.
• The initiative is one of many conservation measures for fragile high-altitude ecosystems.
• Seabuckthorn, also called the “Wonder plant” and “Ladakh gold”.

Uses

• It has multi-purpose medicinal and nutritional properties, and also helps in soil conservation and nitrogen fixation.
• Hardy, drought-resistant and tolerant to extreme temperatures from – 43º C to + 40º C, the plant has an extensive root system which can fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it ideal for controlling soil erosion and preventing desertification.
• The initiative is a part of Sub-Mission on Cold Desert Ecosystems under the Green India Mission — which is a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Government of India encourages the cultivation of ‘sea buckthorn’. What is the importance of this plant?

1. It helps in controlling soil erosion and in preventing desertification.
2. It is a rich source of biodiesel.
3. It has nutritional value and is well-adapted to live in cold areas of high altitudes.
4. Its timber is of great commercial value.

Which of the statements given above is /are correct ?

1. 2, 3 and 4 only
2. 1 and 3 only
3. 1, 2, 3 and 4
4. 1 only

National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

The NMSA has identified key dimensions for

• Adaptation and mitigation:
• Improved Crop Seeds, Livestock and Fish Culture
• Water Efficiency
• Pest Management
• Improved Farm Practices
• Nutrient Management
• Agricultural Insurance
• Credit Support
• Markets
• Access to Information
• Livelihood Diversification

The National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC)

Mission Objectives

• Formation of knowledge networks among the existing knowledge institutions engaged in research and development relating to climate science.
• Establishment of global technology watch groups with institutional capacities to carry out research on risk minimized technology selection for developmental choices
• Development of national capacity for modeling the regional impact of climate change on different ecological zones within the country for different seasons and living standards
• Establishing research networks and encouraging research in the areas of climate change impacts on important socio-economic sectors like agriculture, health, natural ecosystems, biodiversity, coastal zones, etc.

National Bio-Energy Mission

• The government is preparing a national bio-energy mission to boost power generation from biomass, a renewable energy source abundantly available in India.
• The national mission will aim at improving energy efficiency in traditional biomass consuming industries, seek to develop a bio-energy city project and provide logistics support to biomass processing units.
• It will also propose a GIS-based National Biomass Resource Atlas to map potential biomass regions in the country.
• According to estimates, biomass from agro and agro-industrial residue can potentially generate 25,000 MW of power in India.

Indian Network On Climate Change Assessment

• Launched by MoEF in an effort to promote domestic research on climate change.
• Reports prepared by the INCCA will form a part of India’s National Communication (Nat Com) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

National Communication (NATCOM)

• In pursuance of the implementation of the provisions of UNFCCC, India’s Initial National Communication (NATCOM) has been initiated in 2002 funded by the Global Environment Facility.

Other Programs of NAPCC

The NAPCC also describes other ongoing initiatives, including:

1. Power Generation: The government is mandating the retirement of inefficient coal-fired power plants and supporting the research and development of IGCC and supercritical technologies.

2. Renewable Energy: Under the Electricity Act 2003 and the National Tariff Policy 2006, the central and the state electricity regulatory commissions must purchase a certain percentage of grid-based power from renewable sources.

3. Energy Efficiency: Under the Energy Conservation Act 2001, large energy-consuming industries are required to undertake energy audits and an energy labelling program for appliances has been introduced.