Climate Jaanapadam (క్లైమేట్ జానపదం)

Like many states in India, Andhra Pradesh faces severe challenges due to the climate crisis, threatening its biodiversity, the livelihoods of farmers, citizens, and natural ecosystems such as coastal landscapes, forests, biospheres, national parks, tiger reserves, and water resources. The state's indigenous populations, cultural heritage, tourism sector, economy, and ecology are all at risk. The Andhra Pradesh government, in collaboration with the central government and various non-state actors, has already initiated steps to mitigate and adapt to climate change. These efforts include setting up a climate change cell and formulating state action plans to support climate adaptation. A simple search for climate action plans in Andhra Pradesh reveals a wealth of reports and initiatives led by government bodies. However, much more needs to be done. The majority of the state's population, especially rural communities, have limited or no capacity to tackle this crisis at their level. Both the state’s institutional capacity and the adaptive capacity of its communities need to be significantly strengthened. This initiative is a step in that direction. Our goal is to begin by researching and unearthing the current status, existing plans, and gaps in climate action. We aim to showcase these findings to relevant stakeholders in the state to mobilise the necessary resources and responses. This Group’s hypothesis is that research focused on climate risks, vulnerabilities, current responses, adaptive capacities, resource allocation, and the intersections with public policy, economy, and cultural aspects will significantly contribute to building a robust state capacity for climate adaptation in Andhra Pradesh.