[Answered] In light of rapid climate change discuss various efforts made by India to prevent climate change.

The Climate Change Division of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) looks after the issues related to climate change including the international negotiations and domestic policies and actions. India is a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol.  Several domestic programmes/ schemes have been initiated in the recent years for addressing climate change.

Major initiatives of the Government towards combating climate change:

1. National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): The Action plan covers 8 major missions on Solar, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Water, Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India, Sustainable Agriculture and Strategic Knowledge on Climate Change.
2. International Solar Alliance (ISA): ISA was jointly launched by India and France, on the side-lines of CoP 21 in 2015. The vision and mission of the alliance is to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries that lie completely or partial between the Tropics of Capricorn & Cancer.
3. State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC):State governments have drafted climate strategies aligned with the eight National Missions under the NAPCC. The strategies focus on issues ranging from climate mitigation, energy efficiency, and resource conservation to climate adaptation.
4. FAME Scheme for E-mobility: Union Government in 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME). It is India’s Scheme with an aim to boost sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the country. It is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.
5. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: The scheme provides LPG connections to 5 crore BPL beneficiaries. The connections are given in the name of women beneficiaries to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and conventional fuel like cow dung for cooking food, thus reducing air pollution.
6. UJALA scheme: The scheme was launched in 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs. The usage of LED bulbs will not only result in reducing electricity bills but also help in environment protection.
7. Swachh Bharat Mission: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Movement) is a campaign that was launched on October 2, 2014. The campaign seeks to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country’s cities and towns.
8. Push to renewable energy: India has emerged as a global leader in renewable energy, with investments in renewable energy topping fossil fuel investments. After adopting its National Electricity Plan (NEP) in 2018, India remains on track to overachieve its “2˚C compatible” rated Paris Agreement NDC climate action targets.
9. Intended nationally determined contribution: India’s INDC goals target to achieve 40% non-fossil-based power capacity by 2030 more than a decade earlier than targeted. Given these positive signals, there is significant potential for the incoming government to increase the ambition of India’s NDC to a “1.5˚C compatible” rating.
10. Single-Use Plastic Ban: India has recently banned complete use of single use plastic in various sectors and industries. This would pave a way not only to tackle air pollution but also would prevent climate change.

Thus it can be seen that India is pushing hard not only to mitigate climate change but also to stop causes of climate change. Many steps has been taken but there is long way to go. India alone can’t be successful in stopping climate change. A coordinated effort all across the globe is needed.