Climate change challenge (3C) and social-economic-ecological interface-building—exploring potential adaptation strategies for bio-resource conservation and livelihood development: Epilogue

Abstract

Climate change is arguably the single most dominant environmental threat facing humanity. Its manifestations, particularly through rising temperatures, changing rainfall, sea-level rise and increasing droughts and floods have the potential to adversely impact natural ecosystems (such as forests, grasslands, rivers and oceans) and socioeconomic systems (such as food production, fisheries and coastal settlements). This is adding additional stresses to the ecosystem services, which form a substantial source of income to the rural inhabitants. It is most proximate and inextricably linked to well-being, development and economic growth which are part of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which ran from 2000 to 2015. Addressing climate change requires policy formulation, research, technology transfer and diffusion, financing and enhancing adaptive capacity of the poor at national, regional as well as local levels. As identified by the UNFCCC, the people whose lives aremost threatened by climate change are vulnerable groups particularly in developing countries, whose livelihood is traditional crop husbandry or livestock rearing. Therefore, mitigating climate change is an ethical concern. The chapters by Meenakshi Rajeev et al.,Arun B. Chandran and Anushri, Letha Devi et al., Sreenivasaiah, K. (Chaps. 14, 23, 26, 32) addressed this issue through agricultural development. Accordig to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2014), India’s agricultural sector would be one of the worst hit of any country in the world. With an erratic and extreme monsoon, the report states that by 2030 India would face an agricultural loss of over US $7 billion, affecting income of 10% of the people (Neeshad online). But if climate resilience measures in the form adaptive strategies are implemented, 80 % of the losses could be averted, the report adds. In India, several Missions and strategies (Green India Mission, REDD+ etc.) have been implemented at various levels under International initiatives. It is crucial to look at the need of those initiatives and mould responses accordingly to satisfy the requirement for climate change adaptation and sustainable development at local level. UNFCCC has also given strategies on the development of national adaptation and programmes and the support by regional centres; which endows a platform for a bottom-up approach to confer and adapt with climate change impacts at regional level. Pandit chapter (Chap. 10) explores the question how humanity might find the solutions to these global problems. Strengthening livelihoods, developing sustainable land use policy, etc., have been increasingly seen as a critical strategy for supporting adaptation. The chapters by Bill Pritchard,Muhammad Haroon et al., Swamy andNagaraju,Raju et al.,Barun Deb Pal (Chaps. 2, 4, 5, 11, 13) looked at various facets of livelihood sustainability which will help the adaptation of the stakeholders to the possible impacts of climate change. In the recent COP 21 held in Paris, India committed towards creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover (an increase of about 680-817 million tonnes of carbon stock) by 2030, for which 5 million hectares will be brought under forest cover. This will enhance carbon sequestration by about 100 million tonnes CO2 equivalent annually (MoEF&CC). However, the Green India Mission is expected to deliver 50-60% of this target, and therefore, there is a need for developing the plans and strategies to achieve the remaining goals along with introducing other instruments in for example creating climate resilient systems, adopting good practices, developing the strategies for emission reductions and financial provision etc. Therefore, there is a need to focus equally on adaptation as well as onmitigation to cope up with the impact of climate change across ecological regions of country.