Climate Change and Natural Disasters: Navigating a Legal Response

Climate change is a global phenomenon being witnessed by the communities of all nations at different scales and in a varied manner. South Asia being a tropical territory characterized by high population numbers and low per capita incomes, faces challenges when tackling the impacts associated with climate change. It is also a geologically sensitive region considering the existence of the Himalayas at the top and the massive Indian Ocean marking its bottom boundaries. These factors contribute to the vulnerability of the region. In the Indian subcontinent, the impacts of climate change have already been felt across its territory. Since climate change is a natural phenomenon, it is leading to unpredictable short as well as long-term changes in the weather as well, which is contributing to increased incidences and extent of natural disasters. For the past few decades, India has adopted several measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change through various plans, policies, and missions at various levels of governance. The paper aims to analyze such plans and policies in pursuance of its objective of identifying the existing legal framework for climate change in India and explore if it incorporates the important aspect of climate change-induced disaster risk management.