What has been the impact of climate change in the South Asia and India and what can be the mitigation methods employed to reduce the risk?

1. RECCOMENDATIONS
SOUTH ASIA CONSULTATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
ADAPTATION

2. Impacts of Climate Change on
South Asia and India
Combination of environmental and development issues:
◦ increased frequency and severity of floods (six times from 1950 – 2000)
◦ shrinking of Himalayan glaciers
◦ rapid desertification process (deserts growing by 20,000 Km3 / year)
◦ increasing food insecurity => massive displacement (jobs and livelihoods)
◦ increased incidence in wild forest fire
global economic losses from extreme weather events increased from below
US$ 10 billion in the 1950s to US$ 60 billion in 1998
 disaster related losses in India increased from US$ 5.5 billion (36,000 Rs
crore) in 1981 to US$ 27 billion (176,900 Rs crore) in 2005
 annual human impact - 30 million people and 2.34 houses lost
 annual financial losses of 12% of the Central Revenue

3. Impacts of Climate Change
Will continue to have devastating impact if:
* inaction from stakeholders and governments and
* continuing with unchecked development with
little or no concern for the environment

4. Impacts of disasters
Natural or man-made -> increasing vulnerability
Key weakness - narrow approach to response:
◦ focused on reactive, post disaster relief action;
◦ food and medical aid distribution;
◦ physical and economic damages and losses addressed through
reconstruction; rehabilitation typically focused on the building sector
◦ limited resettlement (if any)
◦ not taking into account poverty and vulnerability issues -> can lead to
increased poverty rather than improving the situation of impacted
communities
Stronger focus on Resilience, Risk Mitigation and Vulnerability Reduction
along with efficient relief, reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation

5. Recommendations - Policy
Develop relevant targets for DRR and CCA to be incorporated in
National Frameworks for Action creating enabling environment for
local action.
DRR and CCA consideration integrated within SDGs
National Adaptation Plans to include both Climate Change Adaptation
and Disaster Risk Reduction measures and strategies for higher
resilience (focus on governance, demography, infrastructure, renewable
energy, climate resilient farming practices, natural resource
management (afforestation, water and land management), new
insurance products through assessment of vulnerability)
Integrate CCA/DRR measures in development planning for all sectors
(ecosystem based planning) and build the capacity of planners.

6. Recommendations - Policy
National legal and regulatory frameworks for relevant budgetary allocation
of dedicated DRR/CCA thematic funds (currently funds mostly for
mitigation). Lack of scientific data should not be a barrier for allocation of
finance (used as an excuse). DRR financing (beyond rescue and relief)as
important as climate financing (currently not available hence compromising
adaptation and resilience).
Mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of the South Asia Climate
Change declarations’ implementation.
Climate Change Adaptation policies to adopt interventions addressing
critical aspects of child rights, particularly child protection and education
Ensure enhanced agency of children and young people in climate change
adaptation efforts
Prevent catastrophic climate change through a legally binding treaty for
climate mitigation

7. Recommendations - Policy
Diversification of economy, including in developing adequate, diversified
Food Security Strategies
Remodel existing Climate Change Frameworks to focus on risk reduction,
reduced vulnerability and resilience (current efforts focused on post-facto/
response action).
Climate Change policy and plans to include special consideration for
marginalized groups (e.g. tribal communities)
Establish platforms for policy deliberations and discussions between various
stakeholders, such as Government and NGO partners for improved
governance
Reinforce regional and international cooperation. Agencies as SAARC can
play significant role. More and robust intergovernmental institutions are
needed.
Greater involvement of private sector in Adaptation efforts.

8. Recommendations -
Implementation
Regional Fund for Climate Change Action
SAARC Intergovernmental Expert Group on Climate Change and relevant
SAARC mechanisms to promote low carbon development.
South Asian Institute for Research and Development and various regional
and national knowledge sharing platforms
Efficient intergovernmental coordination mechanism on Climate Change or
strengthen existing ones.
Mainstream DRR and Resilience in Sustainable Development and Poverty
eradication plans supported by relevant and clear budgetary allocation for
DRR and CCA
Strengthen/ develop national and regional Early Warning Systems and
institutionalize comprehensive Hazard Risk Vulnerability Assessments

9. Recommendations -
Implementation
Build capacity of all stakeholders - community, authorities, elected
representatives and others – by involving them in planning and
implementation of Climate Resilient Development and enhance their
preparedness and response skills
Disaster management to move beyond rescue and relief and focus on
improved capacity and action in prevention, mitigation and
preparedness and evidence based (assessment based) response,
reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Develop strategies and undertake action to build resilience of
vulnerable communities.
Effective monitoring and data collection systems.

10. Recommendations -
Implementation
Incorporate local knowledge, local community adaptation action/
coping mechanisms in sustainable development. Educate local
communities to understand possible climate change impacts to
generate increased demand.
Focus on local adaptation efforts - generated locally in considering local
contextual needs and constraints.
Promote regular interaction between community and policy makers.
Involve local communities in the overall management and maintenance
of local adaptation project.
National scaling-up and regional replication of successful adaptation
projects

11. Recommendations -
Implementation
Education and communication of climate risks and adaptation options
to both rural and urban communities. Scientific knowledge to be
communicated in a simplified manner. Build capacity/ awareness of
local media.
Women and youth - crucial role; can be powerful agents of change and
promoters of climate change adaptation action. Gender responsive
Adaptation policy and practice frameworks
Strengthen social protection programs focusing on adaptation and
resilience. Funds available but programs not strong enough.
Improve access to climate financing for communities and CSOs.

12. Recommendations -
Implementation
Pilot and scale up innovations (e.g. the Community Based Adaptation
M&E model bringing together community and scientific knowledge)
Identify and scale up successful Public Private Partnership actions for
Adaptation.
Invest in education to create occupational diversity options for the
youth and children and enhance their skills now to allow better
prospects for employment in future.

13. Recommendations -
Implementation
Undertake climate sensitive urban planning
Multifaceted Urban resilience strategies - to include:
◦ urban planning (adequate infrastructure planning and design, land use
planning,
◦ establishment of Risk Transfer Mechanisms,
◦ assessment of impacts of climate variability and risk and population’s
vulnerability (depleted coping mechanisms)
◦ Multi-stakeholder (Citizen/Stakeholder/Local Government) engagement and
ownership is a must.

14. Recommendations India
Establish and/or strengthen existing mechanisms for convergent action (e.g.
coordinating agencies such as NDMA)
Address Natural Resource Management: careful natural resource management
contributes to improved resilience. Policies to incorporate traditional wisdom (e.g.
encouraging use of traditional crop and cattle varieties).
Strengthen bottom-up planning process and capacities of local systems. Plans must
be more “people oriented”, incorporate priorities of people/ “people’s voice”.
Improve access to classified data to support research and early warning systems
Conduct research on biodiversity
Strengthening systems to enable reach out to the last person
Flexibility and structure for climate related funding mechanism (including for DRR).
Improve emergency management services (beyond rescue and relief, stronger focus
on sustainable, environmental appropriate/ sensitive recovery).

15. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
SDG HFA -2

16. Latest developments
SDGs and HFA 2 – Set targets; Extensive global consultative process
SDGs: The Future We Want - new goals should build on MDGs, apply to
all countries, and be based on the fundamental principles of human
rights, equality, and sustainability
Action-oriented, Concise, Easy to communicate, Limited in number (17
), Aspirational, Global in nature, Universally applicable to all countries
while taking into account different national realities, capacities and
levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.

17. Post-2015: framing a new approach
to sustainable development (IRF 2013)

18. A ZEN Approach to Post-2015: Addressing the
Range of Perspectives across Asia and the
Pacific (ADB 2013)
Discusses Key challenges in Asia and the Pacific where a number of
economies graduate from low-income status to middle-income status while
at the same time the region remains home to the majority of the world's
poor people and has a number of fragile states.
The region gaining increased influence in the world economy but still
grappling to overcome interrelated challenges of poverty and sustainable
development => its priorities will be of significant importance in informing
the contents of the post- 2015 global development framework.
Suggests conceptual framework for setting a new generation of goals and,
informed by these concepts, proposes an intergovernmental approach to
implementation.
The “ZEN” framework:
◦ zero extreme poverty (Z),
◦ setting country-specific “Epsilon” benchmarks for broader development
challenges (E), and
◦ promoting environmental sustainability both within and across borders (N).

19. Suggested elements HFA - 2
- Build on and strengthen the HFA and previous international
frameworks and strategies to guide international and national effort
over the next 20 years.
- Purpose new Framework - to manage disaster and climate risk in
development at local, national and international levels for resilient
people and countries.
- The expected Hyogo Framework for Action outcome of a “substantial
reduction of disaster losses, in lives, and in the social, economic and
environmental assets, of communities and countries,” remains valid.
- Risk associated with geological, climate, weather, environmental and
technological hazards fall within the scope of this framework for action.
- The primary responsibility to holistically manage risk rests with
countries.

20. Suggested elements HFA - 2
Effective management of disaster risk requires a Plan of Action by
countries with three mutually-supportive goals:
(a) Prevent the creation of new risk by the adoption of risk-informed
growth and development pathways that minimise increase in exposure
and vulnerability;
(b) Reduce existing risk through the action that addresses and reduces
exposure and vulnerability, including preparedness for disaster
response;
(c) Strengthen resilience by social and economic measures that enable
countries and people to absorb loss, minimise impact and recover.

21. Suggested elements HFA - 2
Seven (7) specific measures for implementation: strengthen M&E,
development (with priority) of specific public policies addressing post-disaster
recovery, reconstruction and displacement, disaster risk in
informal urban settlements and in disaster prone rural areas, such as
drylands and drought-prone regions; establishing appropriate financial
instruments.
Four (4) Specific measures for Public awareness and education at all
levels -professional education and training on the inter-dependence of
disasters with development, climate change and variability, disaster risk
vulnerability, and exposure are the foundations of a culture of
prevention. Measures focus on integration of DRR in educational
curricula (formal and informal), strengthen public awareness and
stimulate public debate + improve early warning.

22. Suggested elements HFA - 2
Three (3) Global Targets are proposed for the first ten years:
(a) Reduce disaster mortality by half by 2025 (or by a given percentage in a
given period of time);
(b) Reduce disaster economic loss by a given percentage by 2025;
(c) Reduce disaster damage to housing, educational and health facilities by
a given percentage by 2025.
Relevant indicators to measure the goals of:
Creation of new risk prevented
Existing risk reduced
Resilience strengthened

23. HFA 2 Timeline

24. Moving forward on CCA in
India
HOW
WHAT
WHO
WHEN