Environment & Energy
UNDP in India is committed to protect the environment and to meet the challenges posed by climate change. UNDP works with the Government of India to strengthen policy, legislative and regulatory mechanisms on biodiversity conservation, while addressing land degradation, promoting clean and renewable sources of energy, and phasing out ozone-depleting substances. The programme lays emphasis on actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts and on enhancing awareness among marginalised communities for them to manage and reduce disaster and environment related risks. The biodiversity conservation initiatives support communities so they are able to administer their resources in a sustainable manner. This happens through value-addition and marketing of products based on natural resources and through the documentation as well as the sharing of benefits that arise from traditional knowledge. The programme furthermore supports efforts towards strategic management of chemicals, which contribute to pollution and the depletion of ozone layer.
In the Gulf of Mannar and Sunderbans Biosphere Reserves, the introduction of alternative livelihoods and the generation of awareness among local communities have led to prudent use of natural resources. The coral cover in Gulf of Mannar increased by 4.5 percent in the years 2006 to 2008. In the Sundarbans an irrigation canal that was built with the help of UNDP and lead to more diverse livelihood options, which reduced the dependence of people on fishing as a sole means of livelihood. In Saraikellla-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, 110 biogas plants were set up. This helped to conserve 240,900 kgs of fuel thereby reducing CO2 emissions by about 385,440 kgs each year. Communities in Tumkur district of Karnataka have demonstrated that biomass production and power generation is sustainable and successful when the local government, the public and the private sector work together.
Facts on Environment & Energy
- Nearly 3 in 4 rural households rely almost completely on traditional sources of energy – fuelwood, animal dung and crop residues – for cooking and heating
- Health costs of environmental degradation in India have been estimated at US $7 billion a year
- India is home to 8 percent of the world’s species of animals and plants, including many rare and endangered species, but the country’s biodiversity faces serious threats
- Rates of efficiency of household energy consumption are very low
- More than 56 percent of households do not have electricity connections
- India is signatory to many Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer; Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Sources:
Draft National Biodiversity Action Plan, Ministry of Environment and Forests, 2007; Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012, Volume 1- Inclusive Growth, Planning Commission, 2008; India: Addressing Energy Security and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Ministry of Power, October, 2007;Integrated Energy Policy, Planning Commission, 2006.
Project Documentation
