India's Adaptation Imperative: CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR GROWTH

Globally, the battle against climate change is fought on two fronts: one to slow the rising temperature by curbing emissions and the other to prepare for the irreversible impacts of changing climate on natural resources, infrastructure and every aspect of the society. Adaptation to Climate Change has often been treated as a secondary concern – more of a reactive measure than a strategic priority.

- By Amit Kapoor & Meenakshi Ajith

This year however India’s Economic Survey pressed on the significance of Climate Adaptation recognizing that for countries like India where the vulnerabilities are already taking a toll, adaptation can no longer be treated as an afterthought. To safeguard India’s economic future, adaptation is to be placed at the heart of our development agenda. What does this entail? What are the social and economic imperatives behind adaptation planning?

Unlike Mitigation which requires long-term and largescale investments, adaptation costs tend to be more localized and immediate. It often requires upfront investment in infrastructure, ecosystem resilience, disaster preparedness etc. While the benefits of mitigation are spread over decades, the benefits of adaptation are felt more immediately. Financial trade-offs also emerge in national budgeting; for instance, investing heavily in fossil fuel phase-out may limit resources for urgent disaster relief, while focusing on short-term adaptation projects can delay necessary long-term low-carbon investments. In India, estimates already show that annual economic loss from extreme weather events alone can be at 2.8 per cent of its GDP by 2030. The renewed focus on adaptation is therefore not abstract policy rhetoric but a response to hard economic realities. With more than 80 per cent of India’s districts already vulnerable to extreme weather events, climate shocks are no longer distant possibilities – they are regular, destabilizing occurrences.