Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change in Indian policy planning

Climate change affects the balance of natural and socio-economic systems. In the recent years, literature has accumulated on the potentially large-scale impacts of climate change on India. India has emerged as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world, with a high-dependence on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, water resources, natural ecosystems and forestry, health, sanitation, infrastructure and energy. This necessitates a rapid response by the government, especially in light of recent global negotiations. In this context, an attempt is made to present findings thus far on the potential vulnerability to the effects of climate change in India’s key sectors. This paves the way for an argument to ensure current and future policy development in India incorporate climate change adaptation. We argue that currently available scientific knowledge is adequate to plan and implement adaptation practices in India. A strategy for adaptation to be mainstreamed into the planning process is also presented.