The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) is a Government of India programme and comprehensive policy framework designed to address the challenges of climate change mitigation and adaptation. It was launched on June 30, 2008, under the guidance of the Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change (PMCCC). The plan was created to outline a national strategy that enables the country to adapt to climate change while enhancing the ecological sustainability of India's development path, emphasizing that high economic growth is essential to reduce the vulnerability of the population.
The NAPCC works through eight core National Missions, which represent long-term, integrated strategies for climate action. These missions focus on areas like energy, water, and habitat, and include the National Solar Mission and the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency. For instance, the latter mission uses market-based mechanisms like the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme to mandate specific energy consumption decreases in large industries.
The NAPCC is managed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and is closely connected to the State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC), which adapt the national strategy to local vulnerabilities. Its objectives align with India's international commitments, such as the Paris Agreement and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which include targets like achieving 50% of electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. While the core framework remains, the targets of its missions have been significantly revised; for example, the National Solar Mission target was revised from 20 GW to 100 GW by 2022 in 2015. Related concepts like the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC), established in 2015, and the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy of 2022 build upon the foundation laid by the NAPCC.