Urban habitat and climate change: integrating mitigation and adaptation in India
Student name: Mr Umang Jalan
Guide: Dr Shaleen Singhal
Year of completion: 2013
Host Organisation: ICLEI South Asia
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Sunandan Tiwari
Abstract: In light of the overwhelming evidence for climate change, there is now a need
for designing and implementing effective action plans for climate change. The
impacts of climate change have been projected to be especially severe for India. To
deal with this, local strategies on climate change that take into account the needs of
the population living in a given area are crucial. Cities are perhaps the most
vulnerable to climate change due to their high resource use and densities of
population. In light of the aforementioned, this study entails a vulnerability
assessment of Delhi along with a study of policy guidelines required for more
efficient spread of mitigation technologies (renewable energy and energy efficiency)
in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. These two studies yield adaptation and mitigation
actions respectively, both of which are crucial while designing an effective urban
level climate change action plan. The integration of these actions are discussed in
addition to other considerations that are crucial while designing an effective local
level action plan on climate change. The results of the Delhi vulnerability
assessment indicate that the water and energy sectors in the city would be the most
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and would require a disproportionate
amount of adaptation funding. The policy recommendations for Tamil Nadu and
Rajasthan have been prepared for the residential, commercial, and municipal and
transport sectors. The considerations for a local action plan on climate change
include effective integration of policies, levels of government and community
stakeholder participation. These recommendations may be crucial while designing
a more comprehensive and inclusive urban level action plan for climate change.
(Climate Change, Cities, Vulnerability, Adaptation Mitigation, Delhi, Tamil Nadu,
Rajasthan).
