Modelling studies at the national level have indicated that 18 to 28 per cent of forested areas are expected to be impacted by projected climate change under different emission scenarios in the short (2030s) and long (2080s) term, Minister of State, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has said in a reply to a question in parliament.
The dominant tree species in central Indian forests, Teak and Sal are expected to be sensitive to change in temperature than rainfall, with Sal being more sensitive to minimum temperature and Teak to change in maximum temperature.
In agriculture, climate change is expected to affect the production of crops, including rice, wheat, maize, groundnut, chickpea and potato. Under NICRA, attempts are being made to develop new climate-resilient varieties of various crops, including heat and drought-tolerant wheat, flood-tolerant rice, drought-tolerant pulses, and waterlogging and high-temperature tolerant tomato.
The Government on its part has been implementing a National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which provides a policy framework for climate actions in the country with eight missions: Solar, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Water, Sustainable Habitat, Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India Mission, Sustainable Agriculture and Strategic Knowledge on Climate Change.
To support the objectives of NAPCC, 33 states and Union Territories have prepared a State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) each. In addition, the Government has established the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) to support climate adaptation actions of states and Union Territories in the country. The country is also hosting and supporting the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) overseas.
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Forests of Sikkim. Photo credit: Wikipedia
