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During G20 Summit Prime Minister of India has mentioned that India has adopted low-carbon and climate resilient development
What is Climate Resilient Development(CRD)?
- It refers to development activities that will deliver benefits under all potential future climate scenarios and can cope with uncertainties over future conditions.
- In other words, Climate resilience can be generally defined as the capacity for a socio-ecological system to:
- absorb stresses and maintain function in the face of external stresses imposed upon it by climate change and
- adapt, reorganize, and evolve into more desirable configurations that improve the sustainability of the system, leaving it better prepared for future climate change impacts
- A key term in climate resilient development is no/low regret investments. Derived from economics, the concept is defined as investments that bring benefits under both current climate and a range of future climate change scenarios. In other words, it increases the likelihood of getting good returns from investments made whatever climate conditions the future may bring.
Examples of CRD
- An example may include to increase the height of a new bridge being built across a river, in order to withstand greater future floods. To raise it during construction does not cost very much, compared to building a new one to replace an old one if washed away.
- Other examples of climate resilience provided by nature is the manner in which porous soil more effectively allows for the drainage of flood water than more compact soil.
- An example of human action that affects climate resilience would be the facilitation of response and recovery procedures by social institutions or organizations.
- This theory of human resilience largely focuses on the human populations and calls for building towards the overall goal of decreasing human vulnerability in the face of climate change and extreme weather events
Difference between climate resilient development and as-usual development
- Climate resilient development differs from business-as-usual development in actively considering and addressing potential existing and future climate risks.
- It also differs from ordinary development work by having a stronger focus on flexibility, robustness and the future, coupled with an identification of climate stresses (e.g. floods, droughts) and a reduction of the vulnerability to these.
- Compared to general planning exercises, climate resilient development gives greater emphasis to climate variability and how to mainstream climate considerations into development planning.
Importance of planning in CRD
- Planning remains the key word here.
- It is by doing good planning that we can develop the adaptive capacity to cope with climate change.
- By having appropriate strategies, policies and methodologies, and implementing these, countries can adapt and hopefully thrive – despite the difficulties posed by climate change.
