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How Gujarat Can Become Zero Se Hero In Climate Action

Zero Se Hero

Gujarat is an industrial powerhouse of the country, accounting for over 9% of the national gross domestic product (GDP). Though there are no public commitments towards net zero, the Government of Gujarat has been a pioneer in Asia in institutional processes to address climate change.

In furtherance of this commitment, the revised Gujarat State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) was launched in June 2021. The SAPCC focuses on adaptation and mitigation plans for the State, particularly on heat waves and sea-level rise. It points to clean energy alternatives and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions on various fronts to prevent widespread damage and propel adaptation strategies. 

This comprehensive information package analyses union and state government policies in the climate and climate-adjacent space. It also looks at policy measures taken by the State through sectoral initiatives and legal means.

In this article, we will be covering these points in detail:

Gujarat’s location bestows a range of geographically unique landscapes with varying topographies, including wetlands, a long coastline, arid and semi-arid regions, hills, and deserts. The state has the longest coastline in the country, stretching to roughly 1,663 kms. Gujarat’s access to international waters, petroleum refining abilities, and specialised industrial cities enable the thriving of a wide variety of industrial and economic activities in the state. While Gujarat regularly registers the largest fish catches in the country, it also has thriving chemical, pharmaceutical manufacturing, automobile manufacturing and assembly, diamond processing, and textile industries. In addition, the practice of agriculture is an integral part of the state’s economy. Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Bhavnagar are major industrial hubs, and the state contributes to the most exports from the country. The proliferation of this industrial activity has also resulted in a visible increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the state, which went from 166.2 MT in 2005 to 245.8 MT in 2018.

Its geography, topography, and socio-economic realities make Gujarat particularly vulnerable to climate change. It is highly susceptible to sea-level rises, temperature fluctuations, and recurrent extreme climate events such as cyclones. These vulnerabilities have led to the Government of Gujarat becoming a pioneer in Asia by having a sub-national Climate Change Department.

In tune with the Prime Minister’s declaration of a Net Zero India by 2070, the Chief Minister of Gujarat had also publicly shared the enthusiasm to meet the 2070 deadline for Gujarat to become a Net Zero state. In pursuance of this commitment, the state became the first in the country to set up a carbon market. An earlier step in this direction was setting up the necessary policy and infrastructure promoting solar and carbon-neutral urban planning in Gandhinagar, the capital of the State, as early as 2010-11. These GHG mitigation efforts of the State have been reported to save an estimated 266 MtCO2eq (FY19E) emissions between 2005-2019.

While the current iteration of policy and climate action plans do not expressly state a Net Zero goal, GHG emission reduction is a priority for the State. This is clear through the SAPCC as well as Climate Change and Environment Action Plan of the districts of Rajkot and Ahmedabad, which were launched in February, 2022. The district climate action plans focus on reducing the meteoric rise in GHG emissions over the past decade and a half by tweaking the SAPCC’s focus to district-specific concerns.

Gujarat’s path to becoming a Net Zero state will ideally be traversed through these decisions, even though a commitment has not yet been made by the State. These priorities also indicate the State’s interest in drastically reducing GHG emissions.

Before evaluating how Gujarat can meet this goal, this article provides a quick assessment of the current climate profile of the State and the directly impacted sectors. Understanding the context in which these policy decisions will operate while ushering in a Net Zero future for the State is imperative. The methods explored will be that of a ‘just transition,’ wherein the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to renewable energy or a green economy occurs while the benefits accruing out of the same are distributed to all, and no group is adversely affected as a consequence of the same. In addition, this document will also navigate the opportunities for innovation, employment, and growth available to the State in this transition process. Finally, natural resource-dependent communities, their contribution, and protection will be highlighted and aligned with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions discourse.

Gujarat and Climate Change

A recent study on states’ vulnerability to climate change ranked Gujarat as one of the moderately vulnerable states, with a vulnerability index of 0.50 to 0.58.  However, as many as 29 districts in Gujarat (out of 33), home to ~62.83 million people, are exposed to extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, and droughts, according to an independent analysis released by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW). As a result, there is a dire need for urgent action to ensure that the State is immune from the all-pervasive impacts of climate change. Here is a brief assessment of the impact climate change has had and is projected to have on the State, its natural resources, livelihoods, and people:

 Agriculture

Gujarat has 50% of its population employed in agriculture, contributing 9.5% to the State’s GDP, and 54% of the State land is dependent on rain while 60% is drought-prone. According to a Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) impact assessment report, the State’s agriculture productivity is already on a downward trend. In addition, the report revealed that extended monsoon, unseasonal rain, hailstorms, and frequent cyclonic storms would be permanent features of the climate along the Gujarat coast, and farmers have been advised to change their crop patterns to deal with these ill effects of climate change.

A study on climate change and its impact on major crops in Gujarat reported that climate change would adversely affect the yields of different crops. The wheat crop could also be severely affected, followed by maize, paddy, and groundnut during the Kharif season. Rabi maize and summer pearl millet would be the least affected. The maximum yield reduction (-61%) is projected in wheat, and the lowest is in pearl millet (-<8%). Maize during the Kharif season would be more affected (-47 %) than during the rabi season (-10%).  Similarly, in the Little Rann of Kutch, a generation of farmers has been harvesting salt for centuries. However over the years, unpredictable rainfall, rising temperatures, and frequent dust storms have reduced their yield, making it harder to sustain this practice.

Further, due to climate change, the temperature is increasing, and the soil moisture is decreasing. An International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and ICAR study has found that cases of many types of soil-borne diseases may increase in the gram crop. For example, instances of stunt virus through Molo in Gujarat have been rising for five years. Along with this, many new diseases like root rot have also started making an appearance that did not exist before.

Fisheries

Gujarat falls on the country’s west coast, contributing to 60-70% of the entire country’s marine catch. The estimated marine fish landings from Gujarat for 2021 was 5.76 lakh tonnes, recording a nearly 23% decrease compared to the 2019 landings. The fishing communities have reported decreasing trends in their fish catch throughout the years compared to a decade ago. The comparative assessment of the  fishing community and agriculture community shows that the fishing community is more vulnerable compared to the latter  due to a lack of awareness, the absence of social networks, the use of low technology, lower socioeconomic status, and greater dependency on coastal and marine resources for their livelihood. This has been attributed to extreme weather patterns, continuous large-volume exploitation of young fish and the extended rainy season, decline in phytoplankton population (30% in the western Indian Ocean during the last 16 years), migration of fish, unusual formations of frequent cyclones in the Arabian Sea, which are all attributable to climate change. The impact of these climate shifts on fish catch volumes is casting a long shadow on the 2.8 million people working in the fishing industry across India, with women accounting for nearly 70% of post-fishing activities such as cleaning and selling fish. Moreover, the decline in catch directly affects their financial independence, increasing the gender disparity.

Water Resources

Gujarat has roughly 2% of the country’s freshwater resources. Historically, it has been a water-deficient state and has faced constant deficiency in drinking and irrigation. Erratic rain patterns have also contributed to constant drought-like conditions over the decades. Multiple riverine projects and the setting up of canal networks over the last two decades have eased the pressure on the human population helping the State to achieve almost 100 % household tap connections. However, these changes have reportedly created additional environmental pressures, which are furthered by climate change. Moreover, the State has been subjected to repeated heat waves, which has also impacted the water resources availability, especially on groundwater reservoirs. It is expected that the river Tapi will continue to experience constant water scarcities, as will river Narmada, which collectively irrigates most of Gujarat while the Sabarmati is a monsoon-dominated river with hardly any flow after the monsoon. Additionally, Gujarat ranks fourth among the top five States with highly polluted rivers, with as many as 20 rivers in the critically polluted category.

Livestock

Due to climate change, there is a significant increase in droughts and floods or disease epidemics of livestock species. The deleterious effect of climate change on the cattle production scenario is more prominent and well reflected by impaired reproduction, stunted growth rate, alteration in physiological, behavioral, and biochemical profiles of all the livestock categories, and lower feed intake, finally reflecting economic losses to the farmer.

It has also led to a higher incidence of diseases and enhanced susceptibility to infections, including zoonotic diseases like Lumpy Skin Disease. Unpredicted heavy rainfall has resulted in vector-borne livestock diseases through mosquitoes and flies. It is well documented (Purse et al. 2005) that enhanced night temperature is the leading cause for an increase in vector flight activity paired with greater competence in supporting the replication and transmission of viral pathogens. 

The rise in temperatures and increase in the temperature humidity index is bound to create heat stress conditions in dairy animals, and, therefore, significant changes in feed intake can be noted, thereby affecting milk production. The animals are at further risk due to increased  exposure to  heavy rains, floods and cyclones, and allied extreme weather events. For instance, the State lost 8,629 cattle in 2021 due to cyclone Taukatae. Moreover, grassland deterioration can affect the productivity of livestock and the husbandry sector.

With a significant population of cows, buffaloes, goats, and camels, animal husbandry is the second-largest industry in Kutch. Gir and Kankrej breeds of cows, and Mahesani, Jafarabadi, Banni, and Surti breeds of buffaloes are well known for their high milk-yielding capacity. Marwadi and Patanwadi breeds of sheep of Gujarat are also good wool producers. Four breeds of goats, viz. Kachchhi, Zalawadi, Mahesani, and Surti, are suitable for mutton and milk production. The Saurashtra area of the state is the homeland for the famous Kathiyawadi breed of horses, well known for its strength, swiftness, alertness, faithfulness, and “Rewal chal” which is a particular feature, allowing the rider to be comfortable while riding long distances. Alarmingly, it is the local and rare breeds at risk of being lost in localized disasters.

However, today the two predominant activities – agriculture and cattle-rearing – are struggling with the effects of prolonged drought or storms, as rainfall patterns have dramatically changed over the last 30 years, adding to the peculiarity of a land that has morphed over the centuries and continues to change. 

Rainfall and Drought

The Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) is an index maintained by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), used to monitor droughts, which reveals that many parts of Gujarat and West Rajasthan were in the “severely dry” to “moderately dry” categories during 2021. According to this SPI data, the worst affected districts were Sabarkanta, Dahod, Panchmahal, and Vadodara, with the State as a whole recording  a 47% rain deficiency. Although Gujarat has experienced deficient rainfall almost every year in the last decade, only some districts were officially recognized as having a drought. However, the rainfall deficit, often referred to as ardh dushkaal (half drought) in other years, was still devastating for local communities and compounded as they could not access drought relief, thus exposing them to further shocks. In Gujarat, crops have failed in many parts, so farmers have left cattle on the farms to consume the dry crop as fodder. There are no irrigation facilities in these regions, leaving little chance for crop revival. 

Climate Change has resulted in the greater occurrence of droughts and floods in the region, leading to loss of life and property. Prime stakeholders of affected areas face challenges such as scarcity of drinking water supply at sources, salinity ingress from the ocean, frequent flooding in the low-lying areas (particularly slums) and high incidence of natural, and manmade hazards. 

Grassland

The Saurashtra coastline is the most vulnerable to cyclone landfalls, thus resulting in frequent unseasonal rain. The increase in rainfall in arid grassland meant the grassland got taken over by Prosopis juliflora, locally called gando baval, an invasive species introduced in the area in the 1950s, covering almost 55% of the grassland, spanning over 2,500 sq km. This has led to an acute shortage of fodder. Yet, oddly, the rains made the arid region conducive to farming.

The Banni region was once the most prominent and finest grassland of the subcontinent.  Farming is destroying not only the community but also the ecology of the grassland. Banni’s landscape, like any other ecologically sensitive area, has reached this ecological stage through a long process of successive natural changes. The Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology has warned that agriculture would tip the balance and reduce nature’s ability to restore the land. Once ploughed, the soil would be exposed to erosion due to the sea breeze and over time, only the lower alkaline soil layers will be left. Considering that the wind velocity during summer is also very high in Banni if the land is ploughed, the high rate of topsoil erosion would lead to desertification.

Temperature

Mean temperatures in Gujarat have risen to a maximum of 2.9 degrees Celsius between 1986-2019. It could increase further by a maximum of 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century, states Gujarat’s State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). Gujarat has been witnessing the highest-ever rise in mean temperature due to anthropogenic emissions that can go up to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century.

Effect of Global Warming on Gujarat CoastLine

Due to global warming, the sea level of the long coastline of Gujarat is rising every year, posing a serious threat to some major cities and industrial units located along the coastline of Gujarat. Kutch, Surat, Bhavnagar, and Bharuch districts would be the most affected. Sea ingress is projected into the municipal limits of Surat and Bhavnagar cities. Petrochemical hubs of Dahej and Hazira and the port of Kandla would be among other critical areas affected by the phenomenon.

Urbanization in Gujarat

Gujarat is one of the most urbanized states in the country, with an urban population of 2.57 crore accounting for 42.58% of the State’s total population of 6.04 crore. It stands 13th among all Indian states of people living below the Poverty Line (18.6% of the State’s population). Based on the performance on the 12 indicators used to calculate the first ever Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) by the NITI Aayog, among the key metrics, 48.8% of Gujarat’s population faced deprivation in the cooking fuel indicator, followed by 41.4% in nutrition, 37.2% in sanitation and 24.2% in housing. However, the overall poverty in rural areas (27.4%) is nearly four times that in urban areas(6.59%), leading to increased migration from agriculture to non-agricultural occupations than elsewhere in India, available only in the cities of Gujarat.  Many cities of the State continue to expand at a rapid rate and in an unplanned fashion, with water and housing supply proving particularly problematic, requiring it to address larger questions like global warming and food security. In a study to understand the sprawl of urban centers in Gujarat and its policy implications under the IDRC-Think Tank Initiative, the Institute of Rural Management , Anand analysed that Gujarat’s development pathway to achieve high economic growth has not planned for providing basic civic amenities arising out of urbanization and increasing urban population.

Gujrat and Just Transition 

Gujarat and GHG Emissions

The state of Gujarat contributes a significant share to the country’s carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions. Similarly, more than 80% of the emissions of the manufacturing industry come from only ten states, of which Gujarat is the largest contributor at 14%. The manufacturing sector in Gujarat – the largest emitter among states – is also a significant consumer of natural gas and its derivatives (23%) and the second largest consumer of liquid fuels (12%). Five states represent almost 50% of the overall industrial process and product use (IPPU) emissions, with Gujarat (16%) being the highest emitter.

In the CNG vehicle penetration category, which is one of the prime categories under clean green initiatives, Gujarat is leading with a score of 71. Moreover, according to NITI Aayog, Gujarat is leading in the country with the highest scores in clean and green energy initiatives. However, non-renewable energy continues to be the predominant source of emissions in the State. Currently, Gujarat (at 43.6 GW) leads in power generation capacity. Nearly 40.1% of these units are generated using coal, and 4.18% using lignite. Thus, 45% of the total units continue to be  generated using thermal energy. The Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd.s purchase of power from State-based plants using coal is 65.4% of its total purchase, while gas-based power generation has a 13.8% contribution. Currently, the State industry and agriculture are the biggest energy consumers at  56% and 21% of electricity, respectively, while domestic users consume 17% of the total energy generated. The installed capacity of GSECL is 7,038.57 MW (as on 30.06.22) and  the per capita energy consumption of power in 2021-22 was 2,283.19 units. 

Gujarat and Renewable Energy

Gujarat has been power surplus since 2009 and is India’s first State to achieve 97% electrification. Since the State Government began encouraging the use of renewable energy, the State’s thermal power has steadily reduced its carbon emissions over the past five years. Gujarat contributes to nearly 12% of India’s total renewable energy capacity and ranks second in the country’s installed capacity.

The State is industrially developed and has a 16.82% share in the country’s industrial output. 313 MW of Solar Energy installed capacity was added in FY 2019-20. As of June 30, 2022, it has an installed capacity of 19,414 MW of renewable energy and includes 9,419.42 MW of wind power, 7,806.80 MW of solar power, 1,990 MW of immense hydropower, 109.26 MW of biopower and 89.39 MW of small power.


The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) statistics reveal that Gujarat tops the list of Indian states with an installed solar rooftop capacity of 943.13 MW. While the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the pace of capacity addition, policy incentives like SURYA-Gujarat are paving the way toward Gujarat’s clean energy transition. In sync with the National Solar Mission’s target, the Centre has given Gujarat a target of 8.024 GW by 2022, of which  3.2 GW should comprise rooftop installations. Consequently, solar rooftop utilities were distributed among commercial, industrial, public sector, and residential consumers. As a result, Gujarat exceeded its 2022 renewable energy objectives in May, joining states like Rajasthan, Telangana, and Karnataka in accomplishing this goal. Moreover, with 17,593 electric cars as of January 31, 2022, Gujarat is the State in India with the most of these vehicles, ranking 12th overall. 

Let’s look at the initiatives of the State that are to further aid in the development of the renewable sector:

India’s energy demand is set to grow by 3% per year up to 2040, and meeting this demand sustainably will require clean sources of power. Solar and offshore wind projects are also important for diversification of energy assets so that a region is not entirely reliant on one source of energy, especially as renewable energy is intermittent, it is necessary to identify obstacles and the potential opportunities for interventions for a smoother ride to achieve INDCs and become Zero Se Hero.

Industry’s path to Net Zero

Gujarat, one of the most industrialized states in India, is home to a variety of industries, the biggest ones being general and electrical engineering as well as the manufacturing of textiles, vegetable oils, chemicals, soda ash, and cement.New initiatives include the production of fertilizers and petrochemicals. In addition, the State is considered India’s petroleum capital due to the large refining capacity set up by private and public sector companies.

Major polluting industries are located in the Vadodara Petrochemical Complex, Nandesari, Ankleshwar, Vapi, Vatva, and Hazira near Surat.  Increased pollution in the Sabarmati, Mahisagar, Narmada, Vishwamitri, and Bhadar has been caused by the unchecked flow of untreated industrial effluent into rivers in Gujarat. Sabarmati river is among the most polluted rivers in the country, according to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The Vadodara Enviro Channel Ltd. operates a 55-km-long pipeline to discharge treated effluents into the deep sea, but instead of doing so, it discharges effluents into the river.
To operate over 4,500 industrial units, the State Government has proposed a $2,300 crore project for a deep sea wastewater disposal pipeline. Four heavily industrialized areas (Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Kheda, and Rajkot) that are the major contributions to the Sabarmati, Mahisagar, Vishvamitri, and Bhadar rivers’ pollution will be served by the project.

The State accounts for 80% of India’s diamond exports and 72% of the world’s processed diamond production, making it the largest producer of processed diamonds in the world. Gujarat is the largest denim maker in the country and the third largest in the world, contributing 65 to 70 % of denim manufacturing in India. There are one international airport, 18 domestic airports, and 42 ports. There are 106 product clusters and 60 special economic zones that have been notified (SEZs). Gujarat had 21 operational SEZs as of June 2021. In addition, as of July 2021, the State had four SEZs with valid in-principle approvals, 26 SEZs with formal acceptance, and 22 SEZs with notified approvals.Reliance Industries (RIL) is set to invest INR 60,000 crore (US$8.1 billion) in setting up manufacturing facilities for new and renewable energy equipment in Gujarat. In addition, the group  has started scouting land for a 100 GW renewable energy power project in Kutch, Banaskantha, and Dholera and  has sought 4.5 lakh acres of land in Kutch. This includes a fully vertically integrated polysilicon-to-solar module fab and manufacturing of electrolyzers, energy-storage batteries, and fuel cells. RIL further plans to invest INR 25,000 crore (US$ 3.38 billion) in existing projects and new ventures over the next three to five years. However, these initiatives for such renewable energy projects do not outline the need/scope for clean processes and newly skilled manpower. In rural Gujarat , there are multiple business opportunities in the biomass sector via the creation of biofuel companies, ECs, power producers etc.,. It holds the highest potential for small scale business development and mass employment. Moreover, making the existing practices more sustainable is also very critical like SEWA’s gender inclusive training programmes in Gujarat for developing skills for solar pumps to use clean energy for salt farming and is an excellent example of how training ought to be imparted.

Carbon Sink Creation in Gujarat

One of the country’s major INDCs is to increase the forest and tree cover by 2030, which would contribute 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent to the carbon sink and States will have to do their part to achieve this target.
As per the India State of Forest Report 2021, the total forest cover of the State is 14,926 sq km. Out of this entire forest cover, 378 sq km is ‘Very Dense’ forest, 5,032 sq km is ‘Dense; forest, and 9,516 sq km is ‘Open’ forest. In addition, the State has around 2,828 sq km of scrub forests. 4.85% of the total forest area of the State falls under Open forests, while 2.56% is Dense Forests. The very dense category of the forest is 0.19% of the total forest area, while 1.44% are Scrub forests.

Gujarat also has the second largest mangrove cover in the country at 1,177 sq km., constituting 23.54% of India’s total mangrove cover. 169 sq km. comprises moderately dense mangrove forests, while 1,006 sq km comprises open mangrove forests. The State is also home to 212 different types of plant species.

The total carbon stock of the forests in the State is 107.77 million tonnes which makes it equivalent to 395.16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, amounting to 1.50% of the total forest carbon stock of the country.

Gujarat and Mangroves

Gujarat has the country’s second-largest mangrove cover (1,058 sq km). Mangroves are a significant woody habitat that forms essential carbon sinks in the coastal regions. According to the ISFR report of 2021, Gujarat has the second largest mangrove cover after West Bengal, with 42.45% of the country’s mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat at 23.54%. The ISFR 2021 further states that there is no dense cover of the 1,177 sq km of mangrove forests, while 169 sq km of it is moderately dense, with a canopy density between 40% and 70%. The remaining 1,008 sq km area is open mangrove with around 10-40% of canopy density.

Mangrove conservation in Gujarat has been a decades-long project to revive and restore the State’s depleted Mangrove richness that touched its lowest points in the 1970s. The Gulf of Kachchh, with the largest mangrove ecosystem in the State, was declared a Marine Protected Area under a larger Marine Sanctuary, and a smaller area was demarcated as a Marine National Park in the 1980s. State-level initiatives started in the 1990s, following which the Government of Gujarat devised the ‘Restoration of Mangroves in Gujarat (REMAG)’ project in 2002, which was financially supported by the India Canada Environment Facility (ICEF), New Delhi. This gave way to more public-private partnerships in mangrove conservation efforts in the State. After the five-year project duration of REMAG, the government involved more industries in mangrove conservation efforts. This, combined with community-based organizations, built a multi-stakeholder model for mangrove restoration involving local communities, government institutions, and industry. 

This approach has been proven to have better outcomes for mangrove restoration, successfully improving mangrove cover in various districts. However, there are more avenues for improvement in governance and decision-making on land use, common resources, and the rights of nomadic tribes whose livelihoods are based on these ecosystems. For example, the Rabari Maldharis of Kachchh, whose lives are greatly integrated with the marine and the arid ecosystem of Kachchh, are often seen to bear the blame for the anthropogenic degeneration of the marine environment. This, in turn, discounts the harm created by the industry and the ever-increasing number of salt pans in the area, causing friction. It will be beneficial to improve the transparency on matters related to decision-making that would affect such communities. This would also include improved implementation of other statutory and regulatory measures to protect their interests as the marginalised communities within the State. This can be achieved through avenues such as the Forest Rights Act of 2006, making development and sustainability more equitable. 

Mangrove protection and restoration also have the potential to contribute to the Blue economy. Gujarat’s high industrialization and active presence on the global map as a trade center can also help leverage other new global initiatives, such as the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) that was announced during the recently concluded COP27. Gujarat Ecology Commission’s experience in restoring mangroves and reinvigorating mangrove ecosystems can be of great benefit to countries across the globe to identify better strategies for mangrove protection, in turn giving India a prominent seat at the table on discussions related to mangroves, the blue economy, and climate change. 

Gujarat and Communities

8.1% of the country’s Scheduled Tribes reside in Gujarat. 14.8% of Gujarat’s population, approximately 89.17 lakh people, are tribal. The tribal population of the State is present in all districts, but in varying percentages, with the eastern belt of the State being the primary location.

The  State has reported poor implementation of  the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the eastern belt districts of Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Dahod, and Panchmahals. According to the Gujarat Government’s data, only 40% or 73,921 tribals have been given Jamin Adhikar Patras (land rights certificate). At the same time, the rightful claims of as many as 1,08,948 others have been rejected for various reasons.

The smallest district in Gujarat, Dang, is heavily forested, has a tribal majority (94.65%), and has not yet adopted the “developmental” paradigm. According to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s State of Forest Report, 2021, around 77.5% of its territory is covered by forests. It is home to tribes including the Bhils, Warlis, Kunbis, Kotwalias, and Kolchas, who are referred to as “Dangis” as a whole. A total of 3,197 (43% of the overall claims filed) claims have been recognised amongst the Dangs to date. Yet, there were serious limitations with the adesh patra (judicial decree) and seven extracts given to the claimants. In some cases, the land granted was much less than what was under possession. Claimants have requested a revision of the assigned area, but the application is still pending. In other instances, the authorities’ comprehension of the Act itself is ambiguous. Although many claimants have received possession of titles, this merely recognizes “secondary” rights to their land, with the Forest Department being the “real owner,” which is disturbing. Such flagrant disregard for the law exposes a deliberate attempt to implement the FRA, ultimately turning it into a symbol rather than an instrument of empowerment.

While adaptation and coping responses of agricultural communities to climate variability and extremes are discussed extensively in rural planning, pastoral and agro-pastoral communities are neglected, homogenized, or considered ancillary to sedentarized agriculture. As a result, the mechanisms used by these communities to confront socio-economic and institutional limitations to climate adaptation still need to be examined. Moreover, more information is needed about pastoral women’s perceptions of climate adaptation and coping. 

For example, the herdsmen community in Gujarat,  Maldharis depend on common grazing lands and village pastures for their herds to feed. Most of them do not own land, and those who do, grow rain-fed crops like bajra – food for them and fodder for the animals. The major crops grown here are cotton, cumin, wheat, millets, pulses, groundnut, and castor. When harvested, their crop stubble is good fodder for the sheep.

Similarly, the Rabari community leaves their village each year for 8 – 10 months in search of pastures for their sheep. In a typical year, these nomadic pastoralists set out soon after Diwali (October-November) and return just as the next monsoon is set to break. Traditionally, the herds provide post-harvest manure for the fields with their dung and urine. In return, the farmers gave the pastoralists bajra, sugar, and tea. But, like the climate, this centuries-old mutually beneficial relationship is undergoing profound change. 
In a study “Gender and Adaptation to Climate Change: Perspectives from a Pastoral Community in Gujarat, India”, women in the Maldhari pastoral community in Gujarat, Western India, were examined from the perspective of their social context and the findings reveal that climate adaptation pathways traditionally utilized by the Maldharis are constrained by the institutional, policy and social context in which the community is placed, with specific impacts on women. The lack of recourse to traditional adaptation pathways in the face of climate vulnerability triggers coping responses for survival, livelihoods and food security, which produce gendered burdens especially in terms of women’s work. Local perspectives thus shed light on how constraints to climate adaptation impact women in marginalized pastoral communities.

Gujarat and Net Zero Strategies 

Managing Climate Change is a major challenge to humanity. To tackle it, Gujarat has established a separate Department for Climate Change in 2009. Gujarat will reduce carbon emissions from energy production to 139 million tonnes (Mt) by 2030 by raising the installed capacity of renewable energy to 68,000 MW over the course of eight years. The reduction in carbon emissions by using renewable energy in the State rose by 115% from 12.08 Mt in fiscal 2017-18 to 26.01 Mt in 2021-22.  In 2017-18, the share of renewable energy (with hydro energy) in the installed capacity of power generation in Gujarat was 29% with 8,065 MW, which increased to 42 % in 2021-22 with a contribution of 17,367 MW. 

Gujarat has taken the lead in setting a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and is preparing to establish a cap-and-trade market for carbon emissions from large sources. An MOU was signed as an initiative to start the CO2 market between the Government of Gujarat, the Energy Policy Institute University of Chicago, and J-Pal of South Asia in Gandhinagar. Gujarat will be the first state of the country to take into consideration carbon market planning as a result of this MOU. Gujarat is preparing to launch India’s first market for large polluters to trade carbon. The action will give the State a growth-friendly method for reducing its carbon footprints and serve as an example for other states as they work together to take India closer to its “net zero” objective.
An overall cap on emission, determined by the relevant authorities, will give the government a flexible instrument to achieve climate targets while allowing companies and power plants in the State to trade CO2 permits. The cap-and-trade market was created with the goal of enabling industry to cut carbon emissions while minimizing the impact on their operations and production. According to the trading system, the industries that don’t reach their emission goals in accordance with the limit or cap can buy the surplus objectives from other industries who did and accrued credits. The market will be the first of its sort outside of China in emerging economies. Carbon Pricing is seen by many as the most effective policy tool to expedite our efforts toward reducing carbon emissions by creating carbon markets.

Call for actions

Youth Ki Awaaz is currently India’s largest youth media platform with over 4 million monthly readers and thousands of writers, comprising social entrepreneurs, citizen journalists, and individuals creating change at the grassroots. Through our work, we have started online trends and nationwide conversations on social change in our society. #ZeroSeHero is a campaign designed to inspire positive action by decision makers and next gen changemakers to help India transition from fossil fuel to clean energy, while growing economically and protecting vulnerable communities. This initiative furthers the commitment we have at Youth Ki Awaaz to contribute to better changes in our lives, well-being and the world. 

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