• India
  • Nov 28
  • Mathew Gregory

India Climate Change Knowledge Portal launched

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar today launched the “India Climate Change Knowledge Portal”.

The portal will be a “single point Information resource” which provides information on the different climate initiatives taken by various Line Ministries enabling users to access updated status on these initiatives.

Highlights

    • The portal captures sector-wise adaptation and mitigation actions that are being taken by the various line Ministries in one place including updated information on their implementation.

    • The knowledge portal will help in disseminating knowledge among citizens about all the major steps Government is taking at both national and international levels to address climate change issues.

    • The eight major components included in the knowledge portal are:

        ◦ India’s Climate Profile

        ◦ National Policy Framework

        ◦ India’s NDC goals

        ◦ Adaptation Actions

        ◦ Mitigation Actions

        ◦ Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation

        ◦ International Climate Negotiations

        ◦ Reports & Publications

Background

India is the seventh largest country in the world, and the second most populous, home to 1.3 billion people in 2017. Lying between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean, India contains diverse ecosystems and cultures. Its geography includes mountainous terrain, northern plains, peninsular plateau, coastal plains, island groups, and deserts, with many different climates, great biodiversity, and rich natural resources. Around 47% of the population of India is dependent on agriculture as their main livelihood, though its contribution to GDP is declining, constituting 15% in 2016.

Climate change is a major challenge for developing nations like India, threatening to enhance risks already elevated by high levels of social vulnerability and climate variability. In its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), India sets out plans for a major transformation of its economy, committing to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33% from 2005 levels by 2030.

The portal will help in exploring historical and projected climate data, climate data by sector, impacts, key vulnerabilities and what adaptation measures are being taken. Also it will help to explore the overview for a general context of how climate change is affecting India.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)

Notes