INTRODUCTION
India is a country which is altogether surrounded by oceans from three sides, a huge Himalayan mountain on one side and desert on the North-west side. Climate change is one of the most critical global challenges of our times. As can be seen, climate change’s negative impacts will range from affecting agriculture, and further jeopardizing food security to sea level rise and increased erosion of coastal zones, increasing severity of natural disasters, species extinction, and spread of various diseases. In a country where the prediction is very difficult and it changes frequently, we need to tackle the big issue behind it- Climate change. To deal with Climate change The Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change Launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change(NAPCC) in 2008. This plan is certainly a big, well-thought-out roadmap developed by the Indian Government to handle the problems caused by the Climatic changes.
PILLARS OF NAPCC:-
1. ADAPTATION: Adaptation emphasizes making individuals, communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure more flexible to bear the overall impact of climatic changes. It is like molding the system to eventually deal with any kind of climatic change.
2. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: -Sustainable agriculture aims to ensure that our harvesting methods are eco-friendly, so we have enough to eat and supply without harming our planet.
3. ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY: This Pillar of the National Action Plan on climate change focuses on using energy more efficiently and economically, which means getting more output while we use fewer electric appliances. Hence, this pillar emphasizes using energy sources wisely, and economically to save the planet.
4. GREEN INDIA: This pillar is an initiative to especially plant more and more trees. It focuses on tree covers and increasing forests to correspondingly absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Thereby more trees mean cleaner air for everyone.
5. MITIGATION: It is like minimizing the things that ultimately lead to climatic changes. Through mitigation, we attack on the root causes of climatic changes and, if not eradicated at least the effect is slowed down.
6. WATER MANAGEMENT: The National Action Plan on climate change also focuses on using water efficiently and conserving it for future uses. This pillar basically makes us understand that water is precious and we must use it wisely and efficiently. Rainwater harvesting is also a major area for water management.
7. SUSTAINABLE URBANISATION: It involves altogether the planning of city development with the ecosystem in mind. It involves planning cities in such a way that promotes public transportation, reduces pollution, and ensures green spaces for residents for healthy living.
COMPONENTS OF NAPCC: –
The NAPCC is based on 8 missions, which are the following:-
1. SOLAR MISSION: The National Solar Mission chiefly aims to make people aware of the use of solar energy. By using solar energy we can have cleaner as well as cheaper energy. Solar energy consequently helps the environment by reducing pollution which was there from traditional energy sources.
2. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MISSION: This mission is to make farming environment-friendly. This mission concurrently expects farmers to use water carefully without wastage, do organic farming, and take proper care of the land.
3. WATER MISSION: The goal is to manage water in a better way. The mission altogether ensures that people are well aware of using water wisely without much wastage. In simple words, rainwater harvesting as well as not wasting water can help achieve this mission.
4. ENERGY EFFICIENT MISSION: The mission ensures that people use energy wisely. It chiefly means using less energy to meet the required output or even better results. So if we use energy-efficient appliances and practices, we can minimize energy wastage and also reduce negative impact on the environment.
5. URBAN DEVELOPMENT MISSION: The mission is initiated to make urban areas better for the environment and worth living. The mission wants to develop cities in such a way that doesn’t harm nature. It encourages the use of public transport, good waste management, and green space to make cities eco-friendly.
6. GREEN INDIA MISSION: The objective of the mission is to have green cover and forests to protect our natural resources. Planting more trees helps the environment by providing clean air, homes for animals, and supporting a healthy ecosystem.
7. KNOWLEDGE MISSION: The objective of this component of NAPCC is to impart training and knowledge among people about climatic changes and their effect on the environment. This mission aims big by gathering knowledge and sharing with the common man so that we can all work together to fight climatic change.
8. COASTAL MISSION: The goal of the mission is to make the places near to sea ready for accepting climate change. It emphasizes helping communities near coastal regions, protecting coasts, and making sure everything is sustainable in the long run.
BENEFITS OF NAPCC:-
Following are the benefits of the National Action Plan on Climate Change:-
1. Creating Green Jobs: Many initiatives like Green India and sustainable urbanization encourage the creation of green jobs. These are the jobs that are ecofriendly like planting trees or developing clean energy solutions.
2. Reducing pollution: Methods to promote sustainable urbanization and enhance energy efficiency contribute to reducing pollution. Cleaner air and water not only benefit the environment but it is also good for our health.
3. Protecting Communities: NAPCC also helps communities living near coastal areas from the impact of climate change. Extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels impose threats to human life.
4. Ensuring Food security: It emphasizes feeding the growing global population without harming the planet. Sustainable agriculture ensures that we can keep growing enough food without harming natural resources.
5. Global Leadership: Fighting against this challenge is not only a threat to India but to the whole Globe. Various countries are actively participating in to fight against climate change and showcasing global leadership. They set an example for others to follow, creating a collective effort to address this threat.
CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD:-
CHALLENGES:
- Awareness Gap: People are not aware of the impact of climate change and how to address the issue.
2. Global Cooperation: Climate change is a Global issue and voluntary cooperation among all the nations is not spontaneous.
3. Resource Limitation: Limitationsfunds of technology and fund may hinder the implementation of this program.
4. Changing habits: Changing habits of people and asking them to practice eco-friendly habits is difficult.
WAY FORWARD:
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1. Education and awareness: Imparting awareness through awareness and training about climate change and its impact.
2. International Collaboration: For a Global solution, it is important to collaborate with other countries to share knowledge and resources.
3. Innovative solutions: For sustainable practice, it is important to invest in adopting innovative technologies.
4. Community engagement: Emphasizing the benefits of using eco-friendly items and involving communities in eco-friendly initiatives will help.
5. Policy support: Policies should be created and enforced by the Government to promote sustainability.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, India’s National Action Plan for Climate Change is a revolutionary mission to deal with the issues caused by Climate change. It emphasizes using energy smartly, conserving water, making farming better, using clean energy, and planning cities in a way that is good for the environment and ecosystem. Even though there are challenges like people’s awareness, lack of funds, and technology in the way to achieve the planned output, India has come forward and done remarkable activities to make the mission a success. The success of this plan depends not only on the Government but also on Private parties, Businesses, and the common people of India. This will lead to working together to make sure our world stays healthy, and happy for a long time. It is a collective effort to make the globe an ideal place to live and enjoy life.
