Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre (third from left) and others at launch of the dashboard to track climate change adaptation measures.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: In a major step towards addressing issues surrounding climate change in the state, Karnataka on Thursday launched a dashboard to monitor the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures by integrating line departments at district and state level.
The Karnataka State Action Plan on Climate Change, prepared in 2021, was approved belatedly in May 2024. The plan estimated that the state requries Rs 52,827 crore between 2025 and 2030 for the measures. It also made recommendations to 11 line departments from different sectors, from agriculture, infrastructure, energy and industries, to cut emissions and shift to a sustainable future.
Environment Management Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), the nodal agency which developed the action plan, launched the programme at a two-day consultation session organised with partners Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and German political research organisation Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung (HSS).
Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre, who launched the dashboard, said climate change has already become a harsh reality of our times. "Its vagaris, which are slowly but surely being felt by us in the form of globally disruptive climatological events, is no coincidence and neither is the increase in the frequency of their occurence or the increase in the magnitude of their disruptive and destructive potential,"he said.
EMPRI Director B P Ravi said the dashboard essentially does the work of tracking the adaptation measures taken by the line departments against their potential. "The departments will set targets of the mitigation and adaptation measures which will be rooted in nature-based solutions. The dashboard, which will be open for public, will track the progress of the adaptation," he said.
Ravi said EMPRI will also act as a facilitator in identifying the funding mechanisms. "For instance, we are considering the growing carbon credit market and the solutions it offers to different sectors, especially to agriculture, will be explored. There are multiple channels through which different departments can get support. We will work with CEE and HSS to come up with the best solutions," he said.
The dashboard will also help track each department's expenditure in climate change adaptation. "The data will help in course correction. For instance, in the development of a lake, if a huge part of the funds have been spent on concrete structure instead of the core area of ecological restoration. This involves creating awareness among officials as well as the public," Ravi said.
Experts believe that the assessment of the climate change risks made in 2021 need to be revised and updated urgently along with the funding requirements. To a question, Ravi said discussions to update the action plan were ongoing.