With just two days left for the September 30 deadline, as many as 12 states are yet to submit their action plan on climate change to the environment ministry. The action plan is supposed to focus on measures that state governments will take in reducing the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, besides adopting a low carbon development path.
Earlier, some states had missed the deadline of March 31, 2011, for submitting drafts of the state-level strategy and action plan on climate change (SAPCC). Subsequently, a new deadline was set. According to a ministry official, only 16 of the 28 states have submitted drafts of the SAPCC.
The action plans are important since these would complement the central government’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). In line with the national plan, SAPCC could help states address climate change issues. The northeastern states of Manipur, Assam and others have been among the first to submit their plans.
| WHAT WILL THE PLANS HAVE |
| * Statement of issues or problems |
| * Assessment of the ongoing initiatives |
| * Identification of key actors |
| * Identification of major gaps in existing initiatives and delineation of strategies needed |
| * Prioritise list of actions (short term and long term) to implement strategies |
| * Listing of key elements needed; institutional structures, funds, expertise, policy measures, monitoring |
| * Specific project proposals |
| * Timeframe for implementation |
Most states are being advised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and international cooperation enterprise GIZ to prepare their action plans.
Most states which have submitted their action plans have agreed that climate change could disrupt the fragile life-sustaining ecological system, while soaring temperatures, rising sea level and frequent extreme weather events could seriously threaten their infrastructure, economy, health and ecosystem.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the states to have submitted the report. However, despite its wealth of resources and tremendous potential, it faces a number of challenges. Some districts in the state have been identified as being most vulnerable to the twin challenges of climate change and economic globalisation. Declining productivity in agriculture is a major cause for this.
With climate change, this could be expected to increase in the future. Population explosion and developmental needs has caused rapid degradation of its forests, which in turn leads to reduced livelihood opportunities for the rural and tribal people.