India needs support from advanced nations to fight climate change: Govt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) at the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit 2019 held in New York on September 23.

India is meeting all its commitments and making huge efforts towards tackling climate change as part of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but climate resilience for future will depend on financial and technological support of developed countries, the Centre said on Monday.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on climate resilient infrastructure in the country, Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo said India addressing climate change through international cooperation.

"The government is seized of the matter and is addressing climate change through international cooperation and national promotional and regulatory measures. Internationally, India is party to the UNFCCC, its Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.

"India is meeting all its commitments and obligations under these instruments, and independent studies rate India's efforts highly. The extent of climate change will depend on climate action by all countries, especially developed countries. Climate adaptation and climate resilience for the future will also need the provision of finance and technology from developed countries," the MoS said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) at the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit 2019 held in New York on September 23.

In a written reply, Supriyo said, "The partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks, financing mechanisms, private sector, and knowledge institutions aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development."

On another question on the occurrence of natural disasters in the country due to climate change in last three years, the MoS said the climate model simulation studies done by various agencies, including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), project possible linkages of climate change with frequency and intensity of weather related events.

"However, there is paucity of data to establish direct correlation of climate change with occurrence natural disasters," he said.

As per data provided by the ministry of environment on natural disasters, it was found that in 2017, 437 incidents of natural disasters, including heat wave, floods and heavy rainfall, dust storm, thunderstorm, cold wave and lightning, occurred in the country in 25 states and Union Territories while in 2018, the number was 305 in 21 states.

However, for 2019, the ministry shared the data of only 10 states where 165 incidents of natural disasters occurred.

According to details, the maximum incidents recorded were of lightning and floods in all the three years.