India and Climate Change

CLIMATE CHANGE UPDATES :

National Action plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

Challenges emerging from climate change are complex and multi sectoral and therefore these have to be dealt with a multi-dimensional approach. Keeping this in mind, GoI in 2008 adopted NAPCC which is aimed at promoting development objectives and at the same time tackling climate change effectively.

There are 8 missions which form the core of NAPCC. These missions represent the multipronged and integrated approach required to deal with climate change.

How was NAPCC supposed to deal with climate change?

• Development and use of new technologies.
• Involving multiple ministries which will focus on different mission objectives.
• Involving the private sector through PPP projects and civil society actions.
• Promoting awareness about climate change , adaptation , energy efficiency etc.

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) :

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) is aimed at improving energy efficiency and thus meeting energy demand in the country. Implementing Ministry: Ministry of power. The mission commenced in 2010 with a target to achieve the following:

• GHG reduction of 98.55 million tons / year at full implementation stage.
• Annual fuel savings of 23 million tons.

Current status:

• Energy savings of 8.67 million tons (about 30% of the target) was achieved in first cycle (2012-15) perform, achieve and trade (PAT) .
• In the first cycle 8 energy intensive sectors were included: thermal power plant, iron and steel, cement, fertiliser, aluminium, textiles, pulp and paper and Chloro alkali .
• In cycle 2 (2016-19) three more sectors – Discoms, railways and refineries have been added.

NMEEE includes four specific energy efficiency initiatives under its umbrella:

1) Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT)

Assigning energy reduction targets to large energy intensive industries and distributing Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts) on achievement of the targets. These ESCerts can then be traded. Consumers who are not able to meet their energy savings targets will buy the ESCerts.

2) Market Transformation for Energy Efficiency (MTEE)

Promoting adoption of energy efficient equipment and appliances through innovative business models. Programs that were developed under this scheme include:

• Domestic Efficient Lighting Program:Unnat Jeevan by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) program to promote the use of more efficient LED lighting for households.
• Super-Efficient Equipment Program (SEEP) :Under this program, the manufacturers are incentivized by the government to elevate the efficiency standards of the equipment. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched the program in the XII five-year plan with a focus on ceiling fans, considering its wide use and impact on domestic energy consumption.

3) Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP):

Increasing the confidence of financial institutions and investors to support energy efficiency initiatives.

The EEFP initiative is intended towards catalysing the finances for energy efficiency sector by addressing the barriers and challenges in market development and project implementation. It provides a platform for financial institutions, investors and project developers to increase their confidence in supporting energy conservation and efficiency projects.

4) Framework for Energy Efficiency Economic Development (FEEED):

Promoting energy efficiency initiatives by hedging against investment risks. BEE institutionalised two types of funds in order to protect the confidence of banks and investors in energy efficiency projects and to avoid the stalling of projects due to lack of funds.

• Partial Risk Guarantee Fund for Energy Efficiency (PRGFEE):The fund guarantees a risk cover for banks and investors for up to 50% loan amount or INR 10 crore per project, whichever is less.
• Venture Capital Fund for Energy Efficiency (VCFEE):This fund is intended towards promoting equity financing (stock, share) in the energy efficiency sector and thus reducing the impact of non-availability of debt financing (bond, loan) to small size companies and projects. The equity support is equivalent to INR 2 crore or 15% of total equity whichever is less.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency : The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a statutory agency under the Ministry of Power. It was created in March 2002 under the provisions of the nation’s 2001 Energy Conservation Act. BEE’s function is to develop programs which will increase the conservation and efficient use of energy. It is mandatory for certain appliances in India to have BEE ratings.

Standards & Labelling Program (BEE star label): The Objectives of Standards & Labelling Program is to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy saving.

National Mission for Sustainable Habitat:

Implementing ministry: Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs. The mission commenced in 2010 with an aim to reduce emission in cities.

It seeks to promote:

• Improvements in energy efficiency in buildings by extending energy conservation building code to new and large commercial buildings.
• Better urban planning and efficient and convenient public transport to facilitate the growth of medium and small cities.
• Improved management of solid and liquid waste, e.g. recycling of material and urban waste management (like producing power from waste).
• Improved ability of habitats to adapt to climate change and measures for improving advance warning systems for extreme weather events.
• Conservation through appropriate changes in legal and regulatory framework.

The Mission is being implemented through the following programmes of Ministry of Urban Development :

• Atal Mission on Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
• Swachh Bharat Mission
• Smart Cities Mission
• Urban Transport Programme

National water Mission:

Implementing ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti. The mission commenced in 2011 with an aim to ensure water security and improve access to water resources. It aims to achieve this by promoting water conservation and water use efficiency. It covers the entire sweep of water management to fight climate change impacts : from water conservation to water use efficiency.

The Mission, in line with National Water Policy, aims to:

• Increase water use efficiency by 20%.
• Ensure that a considerable share of the water needs of urban areas are met through recycling.
• Ensure that the water requirements of coastal cities are met through modern desalination technologies.
• Ensure basin level management strategies by working with states to deal with variability in rainfall.

The Mission aims to achieve its objectives through:

• Increasing efficiency through regulatory mechanisms (differential entitlements and pricing).
• Enhanced storage both above and below ground, rainwater harvesting.
• Incentivizing water-neutral or water-positive technologies, and adoption of large scale irrigation programs which rely on sprinklers, drip irrigation and ridge and furrow irrigation.
• Ridge and furrow irrigation: The crops are grown on the ridges and the furrows are used to irrigate.

National mission for sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem:

Implementing ministry: Ministry of Science & Technology, Governed by Department of science and technology. Commencement in 2011. Aimed at developing capacity to assess the health status of Himalayan ecosystem and helping Himalayan states in policy formulation and implementation.

The NMSHE will attempt to address a variety of important issues:

• Himalayan glaciers and associated hydrological consequences.
• Prediction and management of natural hazards.
• Biodiversity conservation and protection.
• Wildlife conservation and protection.
• Traditional knowledge societies and their livelihood.

The effect of Climate Change on Himalayan glaciers and associated hydrological consequences:

• Increased drought like situations due to overall decrease in the number of rainy days.
• Increased flood events due to overall increase in the rainy day intensity.
• Effect on groundwater quality in alluvial aquifers due to increased flood and drought events.
• Influence on groundwater recharge due to changes in precipitation and evaporation.
• Increased saline intrusion of coastal and island aquifers due to rising sea levels.

National Mission on strategic knowledge for Climate Change:

Implementing ministry: Ministry of Science & Technology, Governed by Department of science and technology. Commencement in 2014. Aimed at establishment of a knowledge network among the existing knowledge institutions engaged in R&D related to climate change.

NMSKCC seeks to build a knowledge system that supports national policy and action for responding effectively to climate change challenges, while not compromising on the nation’s growth goals.

Mission Objectives:

• Formation of knowledge networks among the existing knowledge institutions engaged in research and development relating to climate science.
• Development of national capacity for modelling the regional impact of climate change on different ecological zones.
• 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 Mission for Green India:

Implementing Ministry: MoEF&CC. Commencement in 2014.

It aims at :

• Protecting; restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and
• Responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.
• Enhanced annual CO2 sequestration by 50 to 60 million tons in the year 2020.
• The mission will be implemented on both public as well as private lands.
• The mission will help local communities in planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring.

The intended major outcomes of the project :

• Improved ecosystem services and reversal of land degradation.
• Augmentation of the shared natural resources on which extreme poor communities depend.
• Enhance connectivity between Protected Areas (PA) through biological corridors.
• Inclusive growth by reaching the communities living around remote forest areas.
• Increased wage labour opportunities during the lean agriculture season.

Goals of the National Mission for a Green India :

• Improvement in quality of forest cover and ecosystem services of forests, degraded grassland and wetlands.
• Eco-restoration of shifting cultivation areas, cold deserts, mangroves, ravines and abandoned mining areas.
• Improvement in forest and tree cover in urban/peri-urban lands.
• Improvement in tree cover on agricultural lands and other non-forest lands (agroforestry/social forestry).

National Mission on Sea Buckthorn :

The initiative is a part of the Sub-Mission on Cold Desert Ecosystems under the Green India Mission. Sea buckthorn, popularly known as Leh berries, is also called the “Wonder plant” and “Ladakh gold”.

The MoEF and DRDO have launched the initiative for Sea buckthorn cultivation in the cold deserts. It has multi-purpose medicinal and nutritional properties. They plan the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is tolerant to extreme temperatures and has an extensive root system, making it ideal for controlling soil erosion and preventing desertification.

National mission for Sustainable Agriculture

Implementing Ministry: Minister of Agriculture. Commenced in 2012 with aim to climate proof agriculture and reduce emission from the sector.

NMSA has been formulated for enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas. 60% of the country’s net sown area is rain fed and accounts for 40% of the total food production. The focus areas are integrated farming, water use efficiency, and soil health and resource conservation.

Stated dimensions of NMSA:

• Improved crop seeds, livestock and fish cultures
• Water Use Efficiency
• Pest Management
• Improved Farm Practices
• Nutrient Management
• Agricultural insurance
• Credit support
• Markets
• Access to Information
• Livelihood diversification

• Soil Health Management (SHM) : Soil Health Management (SHM) is one of the components under NMSA. SHM aims at promoting Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) through judicious use of chemical fertilisers including secondary and micro nutrients in conjunction with organic manures and biofertilizers and Fertiliser testing facilities to improve soil test based recommendations to farmers.

The Soil Health Card Scheme has been under implementation since 2015 to provide Soil Health Cards to all farmers. Soil Health Card will provide information to farmers on soil nutrients status of their soil and recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

National Solar Mission:

The National Solar Mission is a major initiative to promote ecologically sustainable growth while addressing India’s energy security challenge. The program was inaugurated in 2010 with a target of 20 GW by 2022. It was later increased to 100 GW (100,000 MW) in 2015. MNRE has proposed to achieve 60 GW from large and medium scale solar projects, and 40 GW through rooftop solar projects.

Committed to Nationally Determined Contributions (Paris Accord), India made a pledge that by 2030, 40% of installed power generation capacity shall be based on clean sources. It was determined that 175 GW of renewable energy capacity will be installed by 2022. This includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro power.

Net Metering : Net Metering is billing mechanism for grid connected Home Rooftop Solar Installation where :

• The electricity generated by the solar panels is fed into the utility grid.
• Household draws electricity from the utility grid.
• The household pays only for the difference between the energy units it consumes from the grid and the energy units fed into the grid. This is measured by a bi-directional metre called Net Meter.

Objectives of NSM:

• 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 favourable conditions for solar manufacturing capability, particularly solar thermal for indigenous production and market leadership. 

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission:

Governed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It was launched in 2010 with the primary aim of achieving grid parity by 2022 and with coal-based thermal power by 2030.

• Aims to increase the share of solar energyin India’s energy mix.
• It takes the measures of increasing R&D efforts, promoting decentralised distribution of energy by creating cheaper and more convenient solar power systems.
• Emphasis on manufacturing solar panels at the local level and to tie up local research with international efforts.
• Seeks to reduce the absolute costof solar energy to bring it down and make it affordable.

Functions and Goals:

• Making solar water heaters mandatoryin buildings to promote the already proven and commercially viable solar heating systems.
• By the remote village electrification programme,using solar power as an off-grid solution to provide power to the power deprived poor.
• Creating conditions for research and applicationin the field of solar technology and support & facilitate the already on-going R&D projects.
• The ultimate objective is to develop a solar industry in India, capable of delivering solar energy competitively again the fossil fuel options.
• It is hoped thatby the end of the third phase, 2022, India should have installed 20,000 MW of solar power.

Achievement:

• The total installed capacity of grid interactive renewable power, which was 95,803 MW in 2021 increased to 1,09,885 MW (a growth of 14.70%) during a year (2022).
• The Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy and Power has informed that as on 30.06.2023, a cumulative solar power capacity of 70,096 MW has been installed in the country

National Bio-Energy Mission:

The aim of the mission is to push sustainable development of the renewable energy sector. 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.

Current Status of NAPCC:

Government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which provides an overarching policy framework for all climate actions including mitigation and adaptation.

NAPCC comprises eight core Missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, Green India, sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change.

33 States and Union Territories have prepared a State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC.

The adaptation activities in the States and Union Territories of India are being supported through National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC).

NAFCC is implemented in project mode and till date, 30 adaptation projects have been approved under NAFCC in 27 States and UTs.

Why hasn’t NAPCC been very effective?

• Rushed manner of introduction resulted in mere providing of objectives and didn’t address-strategy in a holistic manner.
• Delays in approval of mission: Concerned ministries took 6 years for approval of various missions.
• Since 2014, new schemes are not aligned with NAPCC objectives. Due to this mission has lost homogeneity and functionality
• Monitoring system has been either absent or ineffective.
• Budgetary support from the government towards the scheme has been very limited.
• The State Action plan on Climate Change which was to be formed by all the states has been mostly vague.

Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (CARE) project:

Why in the news? The World Bank has approved climate adaptation and resilience for South Asia projects worth $36 million.

Details: The climate adaptation and resilience for South Asia project will help develop a public platform to inform climate planning and investment and fund innovative and disruptive technology to support resilience in South Asia.

It will also assess climate impacts in districts across Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan to support agriculture, livestock, water and transport.

Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA):

Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s life cycle from sitting to design, construction operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. Green building can help people in reducing exposure to outside pollutants.

About GRIHA:

• It is a green rating system developed by The Energy Resource Agency (TERI) and is promoted by MNRE as the National Rating system.
• GRIHA council is a not for profit society which has been jointly set up by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) and MNRE to promote green buildings in India.
• It provides evaluation as well as consultancy services to facilitate the development of green buildings.
• It is a very comprehensive framework and includes features from many different rating systems.
• LEED (a green building rating system used in USA and was adopted by Indian Building Code, 2001)
• GRIHA requires compliance with basic codes and norms prescribed by Indian Standards such as the National building code , energy conservation building code and bureau of Indian standards, by selectively enforcing a few of these even though they may not be required by the local authorities. This ensures that basic standards are also achieved along with environmental performance.

A few of the basic standards in GRIHA are:

• Minimum level of sanitation/safety for construction workers.
• Minimum natural day lighting requirements as per the NBC.
• Minimum Artificial lighting requirements as per the ECBC.
• Focus on non-air conditioned building > GRIHA provides more credit for climate responsive architecture and design to minimise energy use compared to LEED criteria.
• Mandatory minimum requirements for solar energy > A mandatory criterion, 1 percent of the total energy needs for the development to be sourced from solar power.
• Mandatory treatment of groundwater has been mandated by GRIHA.

Noise pollution: GRIHA requires adherence to CPCB and NBC guidelines for acceptable outdoor and indoor noise levels. MNRE has made it mandatory for building to obtain a GRIHA rating to avail subsidies and other financial assistance allocated for green development

Buildings that achieve a minimum of 3 star GRIHA rating will be eligible for reimbursement of registration fee and cash incentives to their architects and consultants. MNRE also offers incentives to local bodies that offer rebates in property tax for GRIHA rated buildings.

 Steps Taken By MOHUA for Adopting Construction Technology Reforms in the Housing and Real Estate Sector

• MOHUA organised Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC- India) in Jan 2019
• It was aimed at identifying and mainstreaming best available and proven construction technologies that are sustainable, green and disaster- resilient to enable a paradigm shift in housing construction
• As part of construction technology year (2019-20), six innovative technologies have been selected from 54 proven technologies that participated in GHTC- India for constructing 6 Light House Projects.

Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators -India (ASHA- INDIA) initiative: Under these five incubation centre have been set up for identifying innovative materials, processes and technology for resource efficient, resilient and sustainable construction.

ICE STUPAS

Why in the news? ICE stupas help ghost villages of Ladakh become habitable again. India post releases special stamp cover on the Ice Stupa in Leh(March 2019)

Understanding Water Problem in Leh and Ladakh : Ladakh is a trans- Himalayan cold desert and agriculture is not practised here in winters due to frozen soil and low air temperatures. The water in the winter streams is wasted. But during spring season, the streams dry up. Further, due to receding glaciers, the sources of water in summers are becoming less and less.

Ice Stupa or Artificial Glaciers is a glacier grafting technique that creates artificial glaciers used for storing winter water in the form of conical shaped ice heaps. During summer when the water is scarce, the Ice Stupa melts slowly to increase the water supply for crops. The cone shape offers minimum surface area to the sun while holding high.

 How is Ice Stupa formed ?

The Ice Stupa was invented by Sonam Wangchuk in Ladakh (India) and the project is undertaken by the NGO students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). Sonam Wangchuk is also the founder- director of the NGO.

Release of special stamp cover on Ice Stupa by India Post : It is aimed at creating awareness about depleting glaciers and how they affect the ecology around the Himalayas.

Extension of Ice stupas after the Tribal Ministry pitched in: In 2013-14, there was an ice stupa in one village. The expertise expanded to 26 locations across Ladakh in 2019-20 after the government chipped in.