Parliament Question:- Effects of Climate Change
Parliament Question:- Effects of Climate Change
Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially. As per latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021, the total forest cover of the country is 7,13,789 square kilometer showing an overall increase of 1540 square kilometer of forest cover at the national level as compared to the previous assessment i.e. ISFR 2019. There is no decreasing trend in forest cover of the country. The details of State and Union Territory wise forest cover are given in Annexure. An increase in the forest cover may be attributed to better conservation measures, restoration of degraded forest lands, implementation of afforestation programmes and tree plantation drives. The loss forest cover in some States/UTs may be due to reasons such as natural calamities, anthropogenic pressure, shifting cultivation etc.
The Ministry has not conducted any specific study to monitor the effect of climate change on traditional forest dwellers.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) provides the overarching framework for all climate actions and comprises missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, Green India, sustainable agriculture, human health and strategic knowledge for climate change. All these Missions are institutionalized and implemented by their respective nodal Ministries/Departments, including allocation of funds under their relevant schemes as a part of their annual budgetary allocations.
To reduce dependence on coal, the government has taken several measures to increase non-fossil fuel based energy sources. As of October 2024, the share of non-fossil fuel-based energy sources in the installed capacity of electricity generation is 46.52 percent. India is, therefore, on track to achieve its target of 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
India’s climate actions across various sectors are embedded in various programmes and schemes. Further, India engages with the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC and various multilateral institutions to finance its climate action. However, the finance received so far through international sources is very limited.
Annexure
State and Union Territory wise details of forest cover as per ISFR 2021
(Area in square kilometre)
S. No.
State/UTs
Graphical Area (GA)
Total Forest Cover
Change in Forest Cover w.r.t ISFR
2019
1
Andhra Pradesh
1,62,968
29,784
647
2
Arunachal Pradesh
83,743
66,431
-257
3
Assam
78,438
28,312
-15
4
Bihar
94,163
7,381
75
5
Chhattisgarh
1,35,192
55,717
106
6
Delhi
1,483
195.00
-0.44
7
Goa
3,702
2,244
7
8
Gujarat
1,96,244
14,926
69
9
Haryana
44,212
1,603
1
10
Himachal Pradesh
55,673
15,443
9
11
Jharkhand
79,716
23,721
110
12
Karnataka
1,91,791
38,730
155
13
Kerala
38,852
21,253
109
14
Madhya Pradesh
3,08,252
77,493
11
15
Maharashtra
3,07,713
50,798
20
16
Manipur
22,327
16,598
-249
17
Meghalaya
22,429
17,046
-73
18
Mizoram
21,081
17,820
-186
19
Nagaland
16,579
12,251
-235
20
Odisha
1,55,707
52,156
537
21
Punjab
50,362
1,847
-2
22
Rajasthan
3,42,239
16,655
25
23
Sikkim
7,096
3,341
-1
24
Tamil Nadu
1,30,060
26,419
55
25
Telangana
1,12,077
21,214
632
26
Tripura
10,486
7,722
-4
27
Uttar Pradesh
2,40,928
14,818
12
28
Uttarakhand
53,483
24,305
2
29
West Bengal
88,752
16,832
-70
30
A & N Islands
8,249
6,744
1
31
Chandigarh
114
22.88
0.85
32
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
and Daman & Diu
602
227.75
0.10
33
Jammu
& Kashmir
Shape file
Area (54,624)
2,22,236
21,387
29
34
Ladakh
Shape file Area
(1,68,055)
2,272
18
35
Lakshadweep
30
27.10
0.00
36
Puducherry
490
53.30
0.89
Total
32,87,469
7,13,789
1,540
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.