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The Economic Survey 2024-25 published on January 31, 2025, highlighted the significance of adaptation measures in response to the extreme impacts of global warming and consequent climate change across India and lamented the lack of international climate finance for adaptation and the impact the usage of domestic resources for adaptation action would have on the country’s development.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has initiated the process of developing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), according to the Economic Survey 2024-25’s chapter titled Climate and Environment: Adaptation Matters released on January 31, 2025.
“The NAP is a vital strategic document articulating India’s adaptation priorities. The process aims to develop a comprehensive and inclusive NAP that aligns with sustainable development goals and ensures climate resilience for all regions and sectors,” said the document.
This is in addition to the Initial Adaptation Communication (IAC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on December 9, 2024.
The IAC comprised of India’s national circumstances and impacts of climate change and vulnerability assessment of different regions. It also talked about the adaptation efforts by India in climate sensitive sectors, institutional arrangements for adaptation and how these actions interacted with international and multilateral frameworks such as the UNFCCC and the future needs of adaptation and the resources required for the same.
The climate and environment chapter details the various sector specific approaches and initiatives that India is taking for adaptation to the impacts of climate change, tailored to the diverse geographies and agro-climatic conditions.
For instance, in the agriculture sector, strategies include a focus on research and development of climate resilient seeds, preserving and enhancing ground water resources, improving soil health and modification of cropping practices.
In cities where the major impacts are from extreme heat, urban flooding and depleting ground water, the National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH) plans to ensure adaptation through five thematic areas: waste management, water management, energy and green building, mobility and air quality, and urban planning, green cover, and biodiversity.
The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) has been put in place for improving water supply systems, water availability, permeable green spaces, reuse of wastewater and implementing energy efficiency reforms.
Under the AMRUT initiative, as of December 2024, “3,078 water body rejuvenation projects have been approved with the planned rejuvenation of 475 square kilometres area with 4.65 crore million litres per day (MLD) capacity, of which nine water rejuvenation projects have been completed”, as per the document. “These projects are focused on sewer diversion/ treatment before discharge into water bodies, sustainability and emphasis on nature-based solutions”, says the document.
For urban greening, the government has been looking at vertical greenery systems (VGS). One example of such a system is the Income Tax Department’s initiative to create vertical gardens using over 700,000 plastic bottles which would have otherwise gone to waste. This is being done in 17 states.
For cities built along rivers, the Urban River Management Plan (URMP) is trying to revive and maintain the rivers sustainably.
“Adaptation action in coastal regions can include planting and sustaining mangroves, building sea walls and artificial reefs, beach nourishment, dune planting, sand bypassing,” says the document. India’s coasts are under a constant threat of warming fuelled tropical cyclones which bring high wind speeds and storm surges and a gradual sea level rise that is causing coastal erosion.
Restoration of mangroves along the Indian coastline is one of the best adaptation practices. To this end, the economic survey highlighted that under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) scheme, as of November 30, 2024, six states and Union Territories (UTs) have been allocated funds to restore mangrove areas which are essential for coastal protection, especially during tropical cyclone.
The six states and UTs are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry. These funds are intended to restore mangroves in 3,836 hectares under the national Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) program.
Along with this the state CAMPA funds, the funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS and other initiatives have been used to begin restoring mangroves in a total area of 22,560.34 hectares across 13 states and UTs.
Further, under the “Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities” project, 3,259.11 hectares of mangroves have been restored.
“The Economic Survey 2025-26 rightly points out the need for a region-specific adaptation strategy. This is a pragmatic approach as climate risks vary across the various regions of the country, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work for us,” said Viral Thakker, Partner and Leader, Sustainability & Climate, Deloitte South Asia.
The climate and environment chapter also highlighted the lack of access to international finance for taking adaptation actions. The domestic expenditure for adaptation has increased from 3.7 per cent in financial year (FY) 2016 to 5.6 per cent in FY2022. “The flow of international finance has remained grossly inadequate, with much of the action being financed from domestic resources,” said the document.
The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) established at UNFCCC Conference of Parties 29 (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan in November 2024 also does not hold much promise for developing countries, especially for adaptation activities.
“Establishing a small mobilisation target of USD 300 billion annually by 2035 is a fraction of the estimated requirement of USD 5.1-6.8 trillion by 2030,” said the Economic Survey.
“It is out of sync with the needs of the critical decade when action is required to keep the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement within reach,” it added.
The Economic Survey also stated that the lack of funds “underscores the unwillingness of affluent developed nations to assume their equitable share of the responsibility to address emission reduction and mitigate climate change impacts on vulnerable populations in developing regions.”
“Considering that domestic resources will be the key to action, resources for meeting development challenges may be affected, undermining progress toward sustainable development objectives and compromising the integrity of international climate partnerships,” said the economic survey.