Highlighting inadequacies in the State’s strategy to tackle climate change, experts participating in a workshop here on Monday called for integrating climate adaptation strategies with disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
The workshop organised by the Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), UNICEF, Thanal, and other agencies called for wider consultations with local bodies, civil society organisations, and stakeholder communities to finetune the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC).
Pointing out that the failure to carry out vulnerability mapping had left a huge gap in the plan, experts stressed the need for stronger scientific knowledge on climate change.
They also called for strong steps to tap expertise on climate change mitigation from across the world and seek funds from diverse sources.
In his keynote address, M.Sivasankar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, said Kerala could create a new economy around knowledge-based intervention to build resilience to climate change in the key areas of transportation, water resource management, and forestry.
C.Jayakumar of Thanal said carbon sequestration and traditional farming methods as well as technological innovations could help Kerala adapt to climate change.
Sanjay Vasisht, Director, CANSA, said Kerala could tap South Asian countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh for their experience in using local-level planning as an instrument to tackle challenges like sea level rise and loss of biodiversity.
He underlined the need to equip vulnerable communities in the State to cope with climate change.
Vinod Menon, founder member, National Disaster Management Authority, mooted the idea of inviting competitive proposals on climate resilience from panchayats.
