Context:
- Climate governance globally is increasingly emphasising Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems to track mitigation and adaptation actions under the Paris Agreement.
- At COP30, this approach was reinforced through alignment with the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- India is aligning with this shift by strengthening domestic MRV systems, with a notable community-driven model emerging from Tamil Nadu — the Community-based MRV (CbMRV) initiative.
Key Highlights:
Policy / Governance Framework:
- MRV systems are central to:
- Climate transparency
- Climate finance mobilisation
- Accountability in mitigation and adaptation actions
- Traditional MRV models are expert-driven and top-down, often excluding local knowledge.
Community-Based MRV (CbMRV) – Tamil Nadu Model:
- Launched under the UK-India PACT programme (2023).
- Implemented with support from:
- KeyStone Foundation
- Arbore Foundation
- UK Government (FCDO)
- Focused on community-generated climate intelligence.
Geographic Coverage:
- Nilgiris – forest-dependent tribal communities
- Vellore – agriculture systems
- Cuddalore – coastal and fisheries ecosystems
Technical Features:
- Local monitoring of:
- Rainfall, temperature, soil moisture
- Forest cover, biodiversity
- Water health, livelihoods, carbon stocks
- Use of low-cost instruments, digital tools, and dashboards.
- Data flows from village → district → State level, supporting governance decisions.
Stakeholders Involved:
- 35 Community Climate Stewards (KCS): farmers, fishers, women, youth, elders, tribal groups
- Panchayats and District Administrations
- Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission (TNCCM)
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue: Exclusion of local knowledge in conventional climate data systems.
- Causes:
- Centralised, expert-driven MRV models
- Limited grassroots participation
- Government / Policy Initiatives:
- Paris Agreement – MRV framework
- Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)
- UK-India PACT Programme
- Tamil Nadu CbMRV initiative
- Benefits:
- Real-time, hyper-local climate data
- Improved adaptation planning
- Strengthened climate finance transparency
- Challenges:
- Data standardisation
- Long-term institutional support
- Impact:
- Democratization of climate governance
Relevant Mains Points:
- Facts & Definitions:
- MRV: Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of climate actions
- CbMRV: Community-led system generating climate-ready evidence
- Conceptual Clarity:
- Shift from top-down governance to bottom-up climate intelligence
- Integration of traditional ecological knowledge with scientific data
- Key Institutions:
- TNCCM
- Panchayati Raj Institutions
- UK-India PACT
- Keywords:
- Climate transparency
- Community resilience
- Adaptation pathways
- Climate finance accountability
- Way Forward:
- Institutionalise CbMRV in State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs)
- Link CbMRV outputs with climate finance access
- Expand capacity building through community colleges and PRIs
- Replicate model across climate-vulnerable States
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
- GS Paper III: Climate change, environment, sustainable development
- GS Paper II: Governance, decentralisation, participatory institutions
- GS Paper IV: Ethics, inclusiveness, democratic decision-making