United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and India
1. India signed the UNFCCC on 10 June 1992 and ratified it on 1 November 1993.
2. Under the UNFCCC, developing countries such as India do not have binding GHG mitigation commitments in recognition of their small contribution to the greenhouse problem as well as low financial and technical capacities.
3. The Nodal Agency: The Ministry of Environment and Forests.
It has constituted Working Groups on the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. Work is currently in progress on India's initial National Communication (NATCOM) to the UNFCCC.
4. Indian initiatives under UNFCCC:
a) Initial National Communication – Preparing an inventory of the GHG and general steps taken for the implementation of the Convention and communicating this to the UNFCCC. Vulnerability and adaptation assessment also form part of the National Communication Project.
Base year used: 1994
Sectors: Energy, Industrial Processes, Agriculture, Forestry, and Waste.
b) Asian Least-cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategy (ALGAS) study done by the Government of India. The study developed a national inventory of GHG sources and sinks, and identified potential mitigation options. Country-specific emission factors have been developed for methane emissions from paddy cultivation, carbon dioxide emissions from Indian coal, etc.
c)National Physical Laboratory in 1991 started an Extensive Methane Measurement project. Emissions from paddy cultivation ~ 4 Tg/year (a tenth of United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates obtained by extrapolating European and American data to India).
d) Measures being undertaken for GHG mitigation.
e)Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council was established under the Department of Science and Technology.
Facilitates the transfer of environmentally sound technology.
f) Conservation of forests and Biodiersity.
The Participatory Forest Management Strategy -secures rehabilitation of degraded areas, conservation of biodiversity, along with sharing of benefits with local people.
In situ conservation is undertaken through a system of protected areas, including 75 national parks and 421 wildlife sanctuaries, covering 146,000 square km.
g) Coastal Zone Management
h) India Met Deptt. Observes the climatic patterns at surface and upper air observatories.
i) Replacement of the existing cyclone detection radars with state-of-art Doppler Weather Radars in a phased manner.
j) Key role played by Indian scientists in national and international climate research efforts such as the IIOE (International Indian Ocean Expedition), MONEX (Monsoon Experiment), INDOEX (Indian Ocean Experiment), World Climate Research Programme, Global Observing System, and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.
