National Action Plans on Climate Change

National Action Plans on Climate Change (NAPCC) are coordinated government policies, including present and future government actions, that help the country mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.  A country's NAPCC is frequently represented by a formal public strategic document that outlines the policies and goals.  Plans to coordinated through a formal stra through a form strategy aGovernment action can take the form of reguatiouch as through emissions reductions, public investment in renewable energy, or aid to vulnerable coastal communities. Government actions usually take the form of laws, , are sets of government policies, regulations and strsets of policies and All countries, irrespective of their economic status and adaptive capacity (do we need definition?) would, in near future, need to deal with impacts of climate change.¹ Adaptation is defined as 'adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial oppurtunities'.² Planned adaptation, one of the sub-types in adaptation, is said to result from a deliberate policy decision based on the awareness that conditions have changed or are about to change and that action is required to return to, maintain or achieve a desired state2. Appropriate adaptation strategies involve a synergy of the correct assessment of current vulnerabilities to climate change impacts; use of appropriate technologies; and information on traditional coping practices, diversified livelihoods and current government and local interventions.³ Countries around the world are designing policy frameworks to deal with climate change and interventions are being planned at local, national and international level. There are multiple options and opportunities for countries to take action and adapt. One of the relevant policy documents in this regard are the National Action Plans/ National Strategies which are being designed to integrate development planning and climate change adaptation interventions in a comprehensive and all-inclusive manner. The plans discuss the pressing environmental problems and the impact of climate change on the country and then give a brief/ detailed description of steps that need to be taken in order to effectively mitigate climate change. The strategies/ action plans focus on issues that are of utmost importance to the nation vis-a-vis climate change impacts. A large number of countries have already released/ put into action the NAP/NS.