As climate-related disasters escalate, India is gearing up to launch its first-ever National Adaptation Plan (NAP) a landmark policy initiative aimed at reducing the vulnerability of communities across the country. The plan focuses on enhancing adaptive capacities and resilience at a national level, integrating climate adaptation into existing policies and development strategies.
A Comprehensive Framework for Climate Resilience
NAP is being developed through multi-stakeholder consultations, bringing together government bodies, scientific institutions, and disaster management experts. A crucial step in this process was a national workshop held on February 10-11 at the Integrated Centre for Adaptation to Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainability (ICARS) at IIT Roorkee’s Greater Noida campus.
“The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is leading the development of the NAP, which is expected to be finalized before COP30 in Brazil later this year,” said Ruchika Drall, Deputy Secretary (Climate Change), MoEFCC.
The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) is set to take place in November in Brazil, where India’s NAP will be submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat.
Key Focus Areas of India’s NAP
India’s NAP will address nine key sectors, with each sector led by a designated ministry and an expert research institution. For disaster risk reduction, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is taking the lead, while ICARS serves as the anchor institute.
“Climate vulnerability studies are being conducted for each sector to identify priority regions and allocate resources efficiently,” Drall added.
Experts at the workshop emphasized that disaster risk reduction (DRR) must be mainstreamed into governance at all levels, extending down to village-level planning. Professor Anil Gupta, Chief Executive of ICARS, revealed that the institute is also working on a national agenda for the next 25 years of disaster research, alongside compiling an India Adaptation Dossier a repository of best practices, grassroots experiences, and case studies.
Scaling Up Climate Finance for Adaptation
Anita Gupta, Head of Climate Change, Energy, and Sustainable Technology at DST, stressed the urgent need for a robust adaptation plan to complement India’s ongoing mitigation efforts.
“India faces a climate quadrilemma as the world’s most populous country, it must balance economic growth, environmental sustainability, energy security, and ecological protection,” she explained.
However, while climate mitigation funding has seen a 43% increase in the last year, funding for adaptation grew by only 1.6%, noted Akhilesh Gupta, Distinguished Visiting Professor at ICARS. He highlighted the need to scale up investments, with an estimated $73 trillion required for India’s long-term adaptation needs.
Global Context: How NAPs Shape Climate Resilience
The NAP process was established at COP16 to help developing nations identify long-term adaptation needs and secure funding. Since Burkina Faso submitted the first-ever NAP in 2015, several countries have followed suit.
“As of October 2024, 60 countries have submitted NAPs, while 131 have disaster risk reduction strategies in place,” shared Animesh Kumar, Head of UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Germany, who joined the workshop virtually.
A key funding source for adaptation is the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which has already approved 83 adaptation projects across 44 developing countries, amounting to $18.6 billion, including $5.3 billion directly from the GCF.
India’s Commitment to a Resilient Future
India has already taken steps in the adaptation space, submitting its Adaptation Communication to UNFCCC in December 2023. The report details India’s greenhouse gas emissions, climate vulnerabilities, and current adaptation and mitigation measures.
While the energy sector accounts for 75.81% of India’s emissions, followed by agriculture (13.44%), industry (8.41%), and waste (2.34%), adaptation remains just as critical as mitigation.
“Building resilience is key, and India needs to scale up its investment plans to effectively respond to climate threats,” Drall concluded.
With India’s National Adaptation Plan set for completion this year, the country is taking a decisive step toward safeguarding its people, economy, and environment against the growing threats of climate change.