Climate Change-Related Governance and Policies in Indian Himalayas

Abstract

Climate change is a serious concern that is posing a major threat to the environment and society throughout the globe. Some unexpected changes in climate, such as increased temperature, inconsistent rainfall, and other extreme meteorological conditions, are common. These eventually lead to prolonged periods of drought and floods which are deteriorating the natural resources. Consequently, the Government of India (GoI) is functioning at different spatial scales to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, reforestation, prohibiting the use of polythene, and use of renewable resources. These policies will ultimately prevent harmful anthropogenic intrusion with the climatic conditions and ensure economic development to proceed sustainably. Besides this, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is working to formulate methods for dealing with the inevitable impacts of climatic change. The GoI has made numerous initiatives of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC), Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP), and State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) to deal with climate change impacts. These plans address the climate concerns of the entire nation. The National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) under NAPCC is an innovative idea to deal with ecological issues in the Himalayas. The GoI has taken different initiatives such as Governance for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (G-SHE), Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP), Climate change adaptation project (CCAP), and National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) for Himalayan ecosystem sustainability. These are providing various actions towards controlling and adapting to climate change. This chapter is a compilation of Indian policies, governance, and its role to minimize the climate change impacts and improve sustainability.KeywordsIndian HimalayasClimate changeAdaptationPoliciesSustainability