A multi-stakeholder engagement on a sustained basis, starting at the community, sub-national, national and regional level is required to arrive at a consensus on the principles, content and metrics of what is to be done. With the declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), year 2015 has already set the tone for transforming the development paradigm. In the run up to the climate change negotiations in COP 21 in Paris this December, it also provides a big opportunity for a collective global course of action on climate change. Putting out its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for climate change actions, India has once again reiterated that addressing climate change concerns and ensuring low carbon development is a priority for the growing economy.

Climate change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finance. The problem is more severe for developing countries like India, which would be one of the hardest hit by climate change, given its need to finance developmental issues like poverty eradication, food security, providing clean drinking water, sanitation etc. The scale and magnitude of the financial support required by developing countries to enhance their adaptation actions are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC. India’s expenditure on programmes with critical adaptation components has increased from 1.45% of GDP in 2000-01 to 2.82% during 2009-10¹. In addition to several national and state policies which offer adaptation and mitigation co-benefits, National and State Action Plans on Climate Change provide a framework for integrating climate change concerns in various sectors.

The expected benefits of mainstreaming adaptation into the planning process include avoided policy conflicts, reduced risks and vulnerability, greater efficiency compared with managing adaptation separately and leveraging the much larger financial flows in sectors affected by climate risks than the amounts available for financing adaptation separately. While mainstreaming of climate change adaptation in policy happens at the institutional level, mainstreaming at the programme/ scheme level needs to be preceded by plans that help communities better adapt to those climate change related vulnerabilities and challenges. This involves identifying sector-specific vulnerabilities of the communities and the region, capacity building of communities, capacity development of institutions facilitating the planning/implementation process, integration of those concerns in the plans for the scheme/ sector and a mechanism that ensures that activities are undertaken as per the prepared plans during implementation.