On the tentative list of tourist towns and villages set to be made ‘climate-smart’ are Kodiyakarai, Muthupet, Kodaikanal, Kutralam, Pichavaram, Rameswaram, Yercaud, Ooty, Hogenakkal and Pazhaverkadu, according to the State government.
Climate change solutions will be applied to the main village, locality or the local body of the chosen towns, said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department. The ten climate-smart villages (CSVs) across Tamil Nadu would serve as models for climate-related interventions, which could be upscaled at the State-level, she added. The CSVs, for which ₹10 crore has been allotted, are part of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission. One of the objectives of CSVs is to understand the climate challenges and risks faced by the local community and set up information centres in the villages. “[The centres will be] like mini versions of the Climate Studio at Anna University,” she said.
Set up at the Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM) in Anna University, the studio does climate modelling, which provides weather projections and identifies suitable global climate models to be applied at the block-level. The studio will help in sector-wise capacity building for district officers, starting mid-February, said Dr. Kurian Joseph, Director, CCCDM, said: “Climate action in CSVs means applying a climate lens to existing activities. It’s about convergence,” he said.
Bringing together all stakeholders will be one challenge, he added, adding that there should be local-level linkage in all sectors such as water, agriculture, forests, coastal and sustainable habitats.
Pointing out that the focus for any climate action must be long-term (20 or 30 years), he said there must be consistency in long-term plans even if there was a change in governance down the years.
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