The National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) is a program created by the Government of India in 2008 to reduce and prepare for the negative effects of climate change. The plan was created with help from the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (PMCCC). The eight missions in the plan aim to help India reach its goals for growth and development by focusing on lowering how much pollution its economy creates per unit of economic growth. The plan needs help from developed countries. The main goal is to keep India's carbon emissions lower than those of developed nations. The eight missions under NAPCC are as follows:
National Solar Mission
The National Solar Mission was started in 2010 as the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. It has been revised twice since its launch. The mission had a goal of producing 20,000 Megawatts of solar power in three phases: 2010–2013, 2013–2017, and 2017–2022. In 2015, a new target of 100,000 Megawatts was set, to be reached by 2022. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy also aimed to generate 40 Gigawatts of solar power through rooftop solar projects. The remaining 60 Gigawatts was planned to come from large and medium-scale solar projects connected to the power grid.
The government provides financial support to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to help fund solar projects. The Indian government also plans to use money from international organizations, such as the Green Climate Fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to support solar power. This is because solar energy can reduce harmful gas emissions from coal power plants. The goal of 100 Gigawatts of solar energy was part of a larger plan to produce 175 Gigawatts of power from renewable sources by 2022. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the United Nations Climate Action Summit that the goal of 175 Gigawatts would be increased to 450 Gigawatts by 2022.
To meet these goals, the government introduced several programs to promote solar energy and reduce reliance on traditional power sources. One such program, called Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Uthhan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM), was approved in 2019. It focuses on installing solar pumps in rural areas and reducing grid dependence in areas connected to the power grid. The requirement to use locally produced components in solar projects has caused disputes, as foreign companies have raised concerns about unfair treatment of their manufacturers.
National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency
The National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) was created based on the Energy Conservation Act of 2001. In 2010, the Mission document was approved. It showed that India had a very large energy efficiency potential, about Rs. 74,000 crores. When the Mission is fully completed, it aims to avoid adding 19,598 MW of new power capacity, save about 23 million tonnes of fuel each year, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 98.55 million tonnes per year. A 2016 World Bank study estimated India's energy efficiency market to be worth 1.6 lakh crores. India has the fifth lowest energy efficiency globally and a weak ratio of GDP to energy use. NMEEE focuses on achieving sustainable economic growth and reducing energy and carbon intensity.
NMEEE has four parts:
- Perform, Achieve, Trade (PAT)
- Energy Efficiency Financing Platform
- Market Transformation For Energy Efficiency (MTEE)
- Framework For Energy Efficiency Economic Development
The PAT component sets energy-saving targets for industries that use a lot of energy. It also gives out Energy Saving Certificates (Escerts). These certificates can be traded between companies that either fail to meet their targets or exceed them. As of 2021, it is still unclear if PAT is effectively reducing India's carbon footprint.
The Energy Efficiency Financing Platform encourages banks and investors to support energy efficiency projects.
The Framework For Energy Efficiency Economic Development helps reduce financial risks for investments in energy efficiency.
The Market Transformation For Energy Efficiency component promotes the use of energy-efficient equipment. In 2009, the "Bachat Lamp Yojna" campaign replaced incandescent lightbulbs with more efficient CFL bulbs. These bulbs were sold at lower prices, and the government recovered costs by selling Certified Emission Reduction certificates.
"Bachat Lamp Yojna" was later replaced by the "Unnat Jyoti Affordable LED for All" (UJALA) scheme in 2015. This program distributed LED bulbs to replace the more efficient CFL bulbs.
The UJALA scheme is managed by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of public sector companies under the power ministry.
Under the MTEE component, the government also launched the "Super Efficient Equipment Program," supported by the World Bank. This program provided funding to manufacturers to create energy-efficient products. The program is managed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
To help financial institutions reduce risks when lending for energy efficiency projects, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency created two funds: the "Partial Risk Guarantee Fund for Energy Efficiency" and the "Venture Capital Fund for Energy Efficiency." These funds are part of the "Framework for Energy Efficient Economic Development" component of NMEEE.
National Mission on Sustainable Habitat
The transport sector and urban buildings use a lot of energy in India, along with the electricity production sector. The National Mission on Sustainable Habitat is a main program aimed at reducing energy use and lowering the risk of climate change caused by how cities are built. The mission encourages using the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) for new commercial buildings and improving solid and liquid waste management. It also includes managing water resources and providing clean drinking water. A key goal of the mission is to support the use of public transportation. Research and development are important parts of the mission to help manage wastewater, sewage, and waste more effectively.
The National Water Mission is a complete program to ensure fair water distribution across the country and improve skills for managing overused water areas. It focuses on solving problems related to water shortages and pollution caused by global warming and climate change. The mission supports research and development and suggests regular updates to the National Water Policy. It also promotes traditional water-saving methods and quickly implements large water projects. The mission aims to increase water use efficiency by 20%. Combining different water conservation programs and using the MNREGA program with input from local leaders in overused water areas is a central part of the mission.
The program uses a local approach, shown through plans for "basin level" water management and teaching urban youth about water conservation. The National Water Mission also plans to make a complete water resource database available to the public. The Ministry of Jal Shakti is responsible for carrying out the mission's goals.
National Mission for Sustainable Himalayan Ecosystem
The Himalayas are an important ecosystem in India. Millions of people depend on it for their needs. Climate change has caused harmful effects on the Himalayan ecosystem, which provides many services that support life. To protect these services and help other parts of the country develop in a sustainable way, the mission uses several different methods to study how climate change affects the Himalayan ecosystem. The Ministry of Science and Technology is the main responsible ministry for this mission. However, the success of the mission also depends on the cooperation of the "Himalayan states" and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
One of the main goals of the mission is to check the health of the Himalayan ecosystem. To do this, a plan was created with a budget of Rs. 550 Crores during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.
Green India Mission
The Green India Mission aims to protect, restore, and improve India's forests to address climate change. The mission has a goal of increasing forest cover on 5 million hectares of land and improving forest cover on an additional 5 hectares. It also seeks to provide livelihoods for 3 million people through activities related to forests and to improve the ability of Indian forests to provide resources and absorb carbon dioxide. The plan was designed to last 10 years with a budget of 60,000 crores, but it has received much less funding than needed. Due to a lack of money, the program was delayed from its planned start in 2012 until its final launch in 2015. The mission also aims to help India meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of absorbing 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon emissions by 2020–30, as reported to the UNFCCC.
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) has several programs to help agriculture grow in a way that protects the environment. These include the Soil Health Card Scheme, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North-East Region, Rainfed Area Development Program, National Bamboo Mission, and Sub Mission on Agro-Forestry. Other programs, like Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, also work to use natural resources wisely. The NMSA has four parts: Rainfed Area Development Program, On Farm Water Management Program, Soil Health Management Program, and Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture Monitoring, Modeling and Networking Program.
In 2018, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs updated the National Bamboo Mission to continue until the end of the 14th Five Year Plan. This mission is a centrally sponsored program. For general states, the central government and states share funding in a 60:40 ratio. For North-East and hilly areas, the ratio is 90:10. Union Territories receive full funding from the central government. The goal is to grow bamboo on non-forest government land and private farmland in areas where bamboo has social, commercial, and economic value.
In 2017, the government changed the Indian Forest Act, 1927, to help improve the livelihoods of tribal people and farmers. This change removed bamboo from the category of trees, allowing it to be grown and harvested without permits in non-forest areas.
National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
This task involves creating connections between groups that do research and development work in climate science. It also helps these groups share and exchange information by using good rules and policies, along with support from organizations.
Drawbacks
According to news reports, the council leading the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) lacks clear responsibility. There is little public information about the meetings held or the decisions made during them. A total of 10 ministries are involved in carrying out the plan, but it took 6 years to approve the 8 missions. Between 2008 and 2014, the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (PMCCC) met eight times to develop the 8 related missions under the NAPCC framework. After Prime Minister Modi came to power in May 2014, the council only met once in November 2014 to discuss national climate action with the Prime Minister. No additional meetings have been held since then. Also, since 2015, the PMCCC has had only six full-time staff, with three of them being scientists who perform necessary analysis.
In the National Solar Mission, the original goal was to reach 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by the end of 2020. However, Prime Minister Modi adjusted the target in 2015 to 100 GW. At the Global Climate Ambition Summit in 2020, Modi reported that the actual installed solar capacity reached 36 GW.
The budget announced by the central government has not met its promises. For example, as a founding partner of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Modi pledged $10 billion to the World Solar Bank but is only willing to contribute $600 million. Additionally, an estimate from the Ministry of Environment suggests India needs $2.5 trillion in investments to achieve its climate goals. Nearly all of this amount must come from capital markets.
Status
According to a news report, it has been difficult to follow the progress of different missions. On one side, officers are not willing to share details about the missions. On the other side, the budget plans and programs are changing often, which makes it hard to track progress. Also, the NAPCC did not include a plan to ensure the funding needed for these missions. The lack of money made it hard for local governments to carry out the proposed programs, leading to failure in meeting goals for renewable energy sources, such as biomass, wind, solar, and small hydro.
The slow progress has also worsened the living conditions of farmers. Farmers face common climate problems but do not have the tools or solutions for climate issues that were proposed under NAPCC. Because of this, farmers in India have dealt with heavy debts, poor soil quality, and less crop production.