Why the Bonn climate meet is an important one

The COP23 should push the conversation on adaptation and development in this country to the next level

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ConferenceoftheParties23startsonNovember 6 in Bonn, Germany. The agenda of the high-powered meeting is vast — from sustainable innovation to developing the resilience of Pacific islanders whoareatrisk of losing their home to the rising sea level within a generation.

Bonn will be a stage for states to show the progresstheyhavemadeontacklingclimate change,thoughwhathashappenedtillnowis not enough. The fact that Fiji is chairing the proceedingsislikelytoforcetheconferenceto takeahardlookifprogresshasbeenmadeon linking climate change action with developmentpolicies. Linking climate changeadaptation with development is the new battleground for the climate change community and governments. This means making sure thatpeopleinchargeofmainstreamdevelopment policies recognise climate change as a reality and development policies have to be climate-proof.

To make this happen, first, policymakers needdataandinformation.Second,environmental scientists have to work closely with social scientists andstatistical offices to track andunderstandthesocio-economicimpactof changingweatherpatterns.Third,theremust be innovation in development financing. Fourth,statesmustworktowardsdeveloping riskmanagementstrategies,whichplacevulnerabilityofpeopleandsystemsattheircore. Thisiscriticalbecauseultimatelyitisthepeople who have to learn to negotiate climate changeorbeartheconsequences.Theymust haveaccess to information andcontribute to designing adaptation strategies that turnclimateintoanopportunitywhilebeingresilient to an extreme weather event.

At an expert consultation in September, Kamal Kishore, member, National Disaster Management Authority, stated that current development efforts in India are creating risks at a much faster pace than reducing them.OneofthekeyhighlightsoftheconsultationwasthatpolicymakersinIndiadohave a mandate to plan for disaster risk management but they lack a practical framework to linkthisworktolocalanddevelopmentplans andtheirimplementation,undermining the capacity ofgovernmenttodoadaptationand build resilience. Ultimately, this matter is criticaltoeveryone.FarmersinBiharshould know how to make the most of the changing rainfall patterns and people in cities should knowhowtohandleandquicklyreopenbusinesses after large floods.

TheCOP23,hopefully,shouldpushtheconversation on climate change adaptation and development in India to the next level. I personally believe that your light shines throughyouandyoushareitwitheveryone whocomesincontactwithyou.Whenyoufill your thoughts with positive energy you appreciate the things that are around you a lotmoretoo. Evenwhenyoulookataninanimateobject, like apainting, it seemsbeautifultoyoubecauseyouseeyourinnerbeauty manifested in it. If you feel beautiful, your self-belief andconfidencebringoutaglowof beauty that no outer beauty can compete

HT A flooded street in Mumbai, 2017. Nations must work towards developing risk management strategies, which place vulnerability of people and systems at their core