New Delhi, February 18, 2025: In response to the sixteenth Finance Commission, headed by Arvind Panagariya, inviting public suggestions on its mandate set for it by the Central Authorities, a coalition of 12 citizen teams, led by Greenpeace India, has urged the fee to prioritize local weather adaptation in India’s monetary insurance policies, specializing in local weather impacted communities. The fee, constituted in December of final yr, is predicted to submit its suggestions by October 2025, which might be legitimate for 5 years beginning April 1, 2026. These suggestions from the coalition, agreed upon by means of a number of stakeholder consultations, characterize a complete civil society enter at this significant time.
The teams sounded an pressing alarm concerning the escalating local weather disaster, revealing that excessive climate occasions claimed 3,238 lives within the first 9 months of 2024 alone—an alarming 18% improve in comparison with 2022. Information from earlier years (2015–2022) additionally highlights a constant rise in climate-related human and financial losses, reinforcing the pressing want for local weather adaptation. Warmth-related productiveness losses alone may slash India’s GDP by as much as 4.5% by 2030, whereas insufficient adaptation measures through the years have compounded financial vulnerability.
Past the direct lack of lives and financial injury, the disaster has additionally led to missed alternatives for climate-sensitive communities. Many who depend upon agriculture, fisheries, and casual labor may have skilled larger financial safety and resilience if proactive adaptation investments had been made earlier. The shortage of preparedness has not solely intensified the quick influence of maximum climate occasions however has additionally restricted the long-term livelihood potential of thousands and thousands, highlighting the necessity for pressing, forward-looking local weather motion.
Forward of the union price range, India’s Economic Survey(IES) for 2024-25 factors out a rising downside: we’re not spending sufficient to adapt to local weather change. Though spending on adaptation has elevated from 3.7% of our GDP within the 2015-16 monetary yr to five.6% in 2021-22, it’s nonetheless not sufficient. India is the seventh most susceptible nation to the consequences of local weather change, this poses a big threat.The survey emphasised that efficient adaptation methods require a multi-faceted method, together with coverage initiatives, sector-specific methods, resilient infrastructure, analysis and improvement, and securing monetary sources. These measures must also be tailor-made to India’s various geographic and agro-climatic situations.
“Regardless of the IES advice, the 2025 Funds doesn’t embody particular funding for adaptation. Whereas we recognize the concentrate on decreasing emissions (mitigation),the urgency of want for local weather adaptation can’t be ignored. This lack of budgetary help for adaptation places local weather impacted communities at a a lot larger threat, threatening lives, livelihoods, and the economic system”, says Selomi Garnaik, Local weather Justice Campaigner, Greenpeace India, who led the stakeholder consultations.
Key Suggestions:
The coalition’s calls for embody
- The sixteenth Finance Fee should urge the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Authority (NDMA) to formally acknowledge heatwaves as a nationwide catastrophe.
- Set up a Devoted Local weather Adaptation and Resilience Fund for Marginalized and Susceptible Communities:
- Devolve funds to state governments for managing excessive climate occasions, with allocations based mostly on up to date epistemological proof such because the Local weather Vulnerability Mapping Atlas.
- Advocate the Heart to create provision for Local weather Harm Tax (CDT),as a way to maintain the large polluters accountable.
- India ought to undertake a nationwide framework aligned with loss and injury precept and supply Enough compensation for losses and damages as a result of local weather change must be supplied to impacted states, with particular concentrate on marginalized and impacted communities.
A Name for Local weather Justice
The coalition emphasised that these suggestions aren’t simply coverage modifications however steps towards attaining local weather justice for probably the most susceptible populations. They urged the Finance Fee to take quick motion to construct a sustainable and equitable future.
The suggestions letter is ready by various coalition of 12 citizen teams, led by Greenpeace together with Poovulagin Nanbargal, RIGHTS, Basti Suraksha Manch, VAN Gujjar Tribal Yuva Sangathan Uttarakhand, Justice in Mining Community, Mukti, Youth For Local weather India, Heatwave Motion Coalition India, Janpahal, HeatWatch, Individuals for Himalayan Growth, and Telangana Gig and Platform Staff Union. Collectively, they characterize a variety of stakeholders dedicated to advancing local weather resilience and justice.
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