Climate action: Critical to all SDG targets
Climate action plans have long-term mitigation goals to reduce GHG emissions and short-term adaptation goals to improve resilience to climate change’s effects on local infrastructure and services, public health, the economy, and natural resources. Integrating mitigation and adaptation planning with ecosystem restoration, job creation, urban-rural planning, general community planning, housing and infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, water resource management, and more should connect climate action plans to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Land use and transportation, capital improvements, hazard mitigation, housing and infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, waste management, economic development, disaster management, and public health may all be part of climate action plans. Kerala leads other Indian states in numerous SDG targets related to society, such as poverty, hunger, education, health, gender equality, cheap clean energy, inequality, and more, according to NITI Aayog’s SDG Index.
There is still room to enhance the score for SDG targets related to environment, ecosystem, and economic. To outline a clear route for Kerala to achieve SDG 13 by 2030 through effective climate change action while supporting Kerala’s development ambitions and other SDG targets in the framework of sustainable and responsible development. Kerala’s high exposure (both society and assets) to a changing climate (rising temperatures, sea level rise, extreme rainfall, cyclones, storm surge, wind gust, lightning) and its social and economic sensitivity to those changes, along with its unique geographical location near the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, vast Indian Ocean, and disturbed Western Ghats, make it more vulnerable to climate change than other Indian states. Limited information on short, medium, and long-term climate change hazards hinders planning at those time periods and geographical scales. An effective weather station network and forecasting and information management systems would improve Kerala’s climatic information. These and greater partnership with the National Weather Service and other local academic institutions will strengthen early warning systems for significant weather disasters, building rural farmer and artisanal fisheries resilience. The Kerala School Weather Station (KSWS), a unique programme launched by Kerala General Education Department under Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK), will create local awareness with direct student and teacher participation and generate high-quality climate data.
Net-zero Emission Pledges Moving from voluntary pledges to mandatory regulations and standards is the best way to safeguard progress and assure collective action towards Kerala’s 2050 net zero target, compared to 2070 nationwide. Kerala is dedicated to leading the way from a comprehensive climate risk priority to credible net zero pledges to participate in global efforts to reduce global temperature below 2.0 degrees. Delivering Climate Justice and Loss and Damage Fund: Over 3 billion people are vulnerable to climate change, according to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report. Floods, droughts, and storms killed 15 times more people in vulnerable areas between 2010 and 2020. Nearly 70% of climaterelated disaster deaths have happened in the 46 poorest countries over the previous 50 years. Meanwhile, people who are least responsible for the climate crisis are already suffering and need urgent assistance to adapt and recover.
Early Warning for All Initiative:
The Early Warnings For All initiative demonstrates complete alignment with the 2030 global agenda, as it actively supports the fundamental provisions outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals pertaining to poverty, hunger, health, water, clean energy, climate action, and sustainable cities. Multi-hazard early warning systems are only in place in half the world.
Early warning systems have reduced weather, water, and climate-related deaths and losses. The Early Warnings for All initiative brings together the UN system, governments, civil society, and development partners from the public and private sectors to improve collaboration and accelerate action to deliver people-centered, end-to-end multi-hazard early warning systems that leave no one behind. Kerala has major gaps in this direction, despite some efforts to enhance civil society participation in DDR, but coordination, collaboration, and synergy across projects and collaborations across sectors can overcome these limits.
Co-production of Knowledge and Participation of Stakeholders is Essential
The concept of knowledge co-production is gaining prominence as a crucial factor in utilizing scientific advancements for the purpose of achieving sustainable development, as well as being a necessary condition for effectively adapting to climate change. Collaborative and participatory partnerships can be established to build integrated flood control and forest restoration initiatives, which offer several co-benefits associated with biodiversity conservation, improved crop yields, and enhanced livelihood diversification. Hence, the co-production of adaptation strategies can be effectively linked with poverty alleviation and empowerment in marginalized groups. The integration of indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary scientific knowledge has the potential to yield favourable outcomes. Kerala has demonstrated commendable progress in attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by effectively incorporating the primary objectives of climate action plans into the broader framework of all other SDG targets. The valuable insights and effective strategies derived from the “Vision Kattakkada” project, which seeks to harmonize climate action plans with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have the potential to be extended to other constituencies. By doing so, it is possible to enhance the independence of local communities and facilitate the restoration of the environment and ecosystem. Kerala possesses significant potential for advancing all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining to social, economic, and environmental sustainability through the implementation of integrated climate action plans. This potential is bolstered by robust institutional support, effective governance, a comprehensive education system, and active community engagement