Earth Day: India Finds Itself in Catch-22 Situation, Ecosystem-based Adaptation a Ray of Hope

Since the 20th century, India has witnessed continuing change in weather conditions and consequent impact on human and economic capital. Ecosystem-based Adaptation is a promising approach that strives to regain this balance by restoring the natural resources and also building adaptive capacities of people to combat the adverse impacts of climate change. EbA Contributions to Climate Change Goals The global goal on adaptation, while not as explicit as the mitigation goal, includes a focus on protecting and restoring ecosystems, by strengthening agriculture, protecting livelihoods and lives. Driven by sheer necessity and limited options, the needy often resort to unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, thereby causing long-term damage to the environment which further exacerbates climate change. Even in more recent cases, where considerable watershed development work has already taken place, EbA interventions like focus on climate-resilient agricultural practices, water harvesting and water stewardship, biodiversity conservation and diversified livelihoods led to impacts such a 37 per cent rise in average income level, an 87 per cent increase in water storage capacity and significant drop in distress migration.