Moving beyond carbon trading schemes, such public private partnerships models could be useful for pooling resources and expertise and for up-scaling climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives.
Climate Change is a global phenomenon and has significant implications for India. About 700 million people living primarily in semi-urban and rural areas directly depend on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and allied industries for their livelihood. Disaster risk reduction as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation are a shared concern of all- Governments, businesses, and communities. Given the enormity of the task at hand, it is essential to explore feasible public private partnerships (PPP) for pooling resources and expertise.
Private sector plays an important role in developing profitable operations and shaping social dividends for communities through these operations. But to sustain the gains for business and society at large, it is important that disaster risk reduction forms an integral part of these initiatives – in order to truly enable this, private sector must work with public sector and civil society organizations. . In turn, Governments must provide an environment for promoting PPP models. There is a huge potential and need for promoting PPP models to address the challenges emanating from climate change in sectors like housing, communication, infrastructure, health, agriculture, livelihood, water and sanitation etc. in India
Status of Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation in India
Historically like most countries, climate change mitigation and adaptation in India has primarily been a state or national affair and looked upon in a top-down manner however since the Delhi Declaration in August 2006, there has been a growing emphasis on engaging the private sector and civil society in shaping our development planning and formulating responses to the climate change issues.
India has incorporated disaster risk reduction measures in national development schemes since the 10th five year plan (2002-07) thereby integrating climate change adaptation initiatives with disaster risk reduction measures.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) released by Prime Minister of India in June 2008, mainly looks into protecting poor through inclusive sustainable development and inclusion of civil society and public-private partnerships in the process. However country needs to work out operational guidelines for detailing scope of PPP in each sector as also the various national development schemes.
Private Sector in India has great potential and competency for bringing innovative solutions and scale to the various models for climate change adaptation shaped by the civil society and/or govt. institutions however their primary thrust thus far has been limited to monetization of the carbon credits. Hence there is a vital need for government to involve them through innovative and alluring partnerships, while on other hand induce them to take it as their prime responsibility.
Scope of PPP in Combating Climate Change in India
India should work towards unique and innovative PPP models in climate change sector and bring together resources and expertise of diverse stakeholders. Public Sector and Government can play a role of facilitator and regulator and earmark funds through national development schemes. Private sector can play a role in lining up sources of new funds, shaping risk management mechanism and innovative technological solutions. Civil Society Organizations on the other hand can play a major role as mediator between Public Sector, Private sector and communities to enable scaling up of initiatives.
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Social Entrepreneurships models just emerging in India can play wonders in the climate change space, like in the west, by bringing change in approach and scale through entrepreneurship model. .
Recommendations for up scaling initiatives:
• A public policy for corporate social responsibility should be formulated at national level considering disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation measures. Ministry of corporate affairs, CII (Confederation of Indian Industries and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) need to take the lead in formulating the policy recommendations.
• Industry specific national level working groups can be set-up for prioritizing inclusion of DRR and climate change adaptation.
• Government should give incentives to private sector for innovative PPP adopting green technologies through tax benefits, revenue subsidies etc.
• Corporate level disaster policy and climate change adaptation compliance can also be formulated at national level by Government
• Tool kits for PPP models for concerned sectors should be made available by Government – such kits need to be comprehensive dossiers indicating model concession agreements, risk and revenue sharing framework etc
• Detailed action plans under NAPCC should be prepared by Government in collaboration with private sector and civil society organizations.
• Small infrastructure projects promoting alternative energies, non-conventional waste management technologies and green technologies can be promoted with active participation of private sector and civil society organizations.
• Market place and incubation facilities to upscale small and grass root innovations for sustainable models for climate change adaptation should be promoted by Government.
Way Forward
India needs to make a paradigm shift from compliance based initiatives or merely an inducement to pull carbon credits in climate change sector. Climate change mitigation and adaptation should be made a sustainable profitable business and promoted as a business opportunity for all the stakeholders through innovative public private partnerships.
References
- http://pmindia.nic.in/climate_change.htm- National Action Plan on Climate Change, India
- Workshop report on” Towards a Sustainable Tomorrow: New Agenda for Business”, organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry & Gujarat Ecology Commission, 23rd March 2010
- Margaret Arnold, March 2008, “The Role of Risk Transfer and Insurance in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, Commission on Climate Change and Development, Sweden. Accessed at www.ccdcommission.org
- Bonn, December 2008, “Private Sector Activities in Disaster Risk Reduction: Good Practices and Lessons Learnt”, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
Tanvi Patel is a technocrat in Construction Technology and specializes in disaster management, rural housing technologies and non-conventional waste management planning and technologies. She is doing her M.Phil in Disaster Management with focus to mainstreaming disaster risk reduction with development planning. She is partner to a multidisciplinary consultancy organization “Centre For Integrated Development”, based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She is actively involved in research on disaster risk reduction with special focus to climate change adaptation and mainstreaming DRR with national development schemes. She has worked under research grant programmes with Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Thailand and Climate and Disaster Governance, U.K.
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