From Preeti Soni, Energy and Environment Division, UNDP, New Delhi
Posted 27 November 2007

Climate change is likely to impact water resources, coastal areas and agriculture in India. While undertaking efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, there is also an urgent need to develop strategies to cope and adapt to these changes.

Following a programmatic approach to adaptation, the GoI and the GEF/UNDP project on “Climate Resilient Development and Adaptation” aims to work towards enhancing the resilience of the country’s development by anticipating and adapting climate change related impacts. The project addresses key priorities in contributing toward the reduction of national and sub-national level vulnerabilities to climate change through the pursuit of specific outcomes including:

• Implementation risk reduction strategies and measures at pilot sites
• Integrating concerns into policies and planning processes at the state and national levels
• Strengthening technical capacity to integrate climate risks into management frameworks in agriculture, water and coastal regions
• Disseminating lessons learned to key stakeholders, both nationally and internationally

The project targets specific local interventions and broader enabling frameworks by linking demonstration activities directly to national and sub-national level policy making processes, and will help integrate climate risk reduction into planning, policies and programs in six sites with growing climate vulnerability: two drought-prone (in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh), two flood- prone (in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh) and two susceptible coastal areas (in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu).

In this regard, I would be extremely grateful if members could provide information on:

1. Findings from studies or experiences relating to sector-specific impacts of climate change on water management, agriculture practices and coastal area management
2. Adaptation strategies, experiences and lessons learned for climate resilient water, agricultural and coastal management practices, with a specific focus on livelihood diversification and capacity building

The experiences of members will contribute towards delivering benefits in the form of practical planning and implementation of risks reduction measures. Your inputs will indeed be a beneficial support to UNDP’s project efforts.

Please see attachment below for the responses.