The 1990s were a time of great change in India and the world, which led to the forging of new policies in many areas, including on the environment. The Rio Summit of 1992 saw the emergence of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity and Forest Principles. After Rio, the divisions of climate change and biodiversity in India’s then Ministry of Environment and Forests came to life slowly and steadily. Over-exploitation by the developed world and India’s climate policy Climate change has come to occupy centre-stage in our lives — it is a truly global collective action challenge. Climate change has been brought to a crisis stage by the excessive, unsustainable production and consumption patterns of the developed countries. A recent study (Hickel et. al, “National responsibility for ecological breakdown: a fair-shares assessment of resource use, 1970-2017”, 'Lancet Planetary Health' 2022; 6: e242-49) argues that during the study period, the United States and Europe were responsible for majority of global ecological damage caused by the overuse of natural resources. The US accounts for 27% of the world’s excess material use, followed by the EU (25%). Other rich countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, and Saudi Arabia were collectively responsible for 22%. High-income countries with only 16% of the world's population are responsible for 74% of excess resource use over their fair share. China has also overshot its sustainability limit by 15% of resource overuse. Over the same period, 58 countries representing 3.6 billion people — including India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh — stayed within their sustainability limits. While India is within the limits of its sustainability, the high-income countries must reduce resource use by ~70% from existing levels to reach the sustainability range. Amid this stark contrast, what is India’s climate policy? The five major determinants of India’s climate policy India’s climate policy is based on five major determinants: geography, population, impacts, worldview, and actions. GEOGRAPHY The Indian landmass has an area of 3.28 million sq km, accounting for 2.4% of the world's geographical land surface area and 4% of the world’s freshwater resources. India is the seventh largest country in the world. It is one of the 17 mega-biodiverse countries, having four biodiversity hotspots, 10 bio-geographic zones, and 22 agro-biodiversity hotspots. India experiences six different seasons, and its civilisation and economy have developed in harmony with this seasonal cycle. In recent decades, climate change has disrupted this harmony by blurring the distinction between seasons, which has led to increased unpredictability and negative consequences for nature and society. POPULATION India's 1.4 billion people account for almost one-sixth of humanity. It is home to 7-8% of the world's recorded species, with more than 45,500 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals documented so far. The human to land ratio is very low in India at 0.0021 sq km, and is continuing to recede — we must learn to survive with this serious limitation, which requires understanding and an integrated management of land and water. IMPACTS The Global Climate Risk Index 2020 prepared by Germanwatch puts India as the fifth most affected country in terms of experiencing extreme weather events, a sharp rise from its 14th position in 2017. The World Bank report on the Impact of Climate Change on South Asia (2018) predicts that rising temperatures and changing monsoon rainfall patterns could cost India 2.8% of its GDP and depress the living standards of nearly half the country’s population by 2050. WORLDVIEW Our worldview is shaped by our ancestors — of living in harmony and consonance with nature. The 'Prithvi Sukta' says that the Earth is our Mother, and sacred groves tell us that the idea of protection of nature and natural resources is seeped in our way of life. Gandhi’s ideals of standing up for the last man, trusteeship, and the ability of the Earth to provide enough for everyone’s need and not anyone’s greed represents a continuous strain of thought since time immemorial. The logo of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) — Nature Protects if She is Protected — shows our reverence, respect for nature, and our focus towards conserving it. Our actions are shaped by science, and are based on evidence and numbers. Despite having historical cumulative emissions of less than 4% (1850-2019) and 1.9 tonnes CO2 per capita emissions, India has not dissuaded itself from taking resolute domestic and international actions that benefit the planet. It has created international institutions like the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to focus on the transition to renewable energy, separated carbon emissions from economic growth, and is one of the G20 countries that are on track to meet the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets. This is unlike the developed countries, who show enthusiasm for climate action for everyone but themselves. Take for instance the United States, which has entered and exited the international governance mechanism for climate change at free will. When President George H W Bush signed the UNFCCC in 1992, the United States insisted that the Convention should include “no timetable or specific targets for action”. While President Bill Clinton signed the UNFCCC’s Kyoto Protocol, President George W Bush could not get it ratified. President Barack Obama signed the UNFCCC’s Paris Agreement, but President Donald Trump withdrew from it. Subsequently, President Joe Biden re-entered it. Can we take developed countries seriously given such a record? The evolution of India’s climate policy India’s climate policy is informed by its vision of inclusive growth for all-round economic and social development, the eradication of poverty, declining carbon budget, firm adherence to the foundational principles of the UNFCCC, and climate-friendly lifestyles. India’s climate policy has always been clear, consistent, and coordinated. India has been clear that the problem of climate change is the result of overexploitation of natural resources by developed countries. India has been a consistently strong voice of the Global South: the CBDR-RC (Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities) principle was developed largely through Indian interventions at the Rio Summit, 1992. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) 2008, with eight missions, has laid the ground for understanding climate change and acting on it. Thirty-four Indian states and Union Territories have prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC; it is coordinated as India’s climate policy, and is not the preserve of any one Ministry or Department. More than 23 line Ministries at the Centre, and similar stakeholders in the states take part in the decision-making process. Civil society is also an active participant. India’s efforts to address climate change are immediate, ambitious, planned, and cover every sector of its economy. India is a world leader in climate action today. It has added two more ‘C’s to its climate policy, that of confidence and convenient action, embracing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas’. India has reflected this confidence in building global institutions such as the ISA, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA). India, along with Sweden, heads ‘The Leadership Group for Industry Transition’. With the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ movement, India shows that convenient actions are the only way possible, and that India’s sustainable lifestyles are the way forward. India’s long-term low emissions development strategy to the UNFCCC showcases its belief in the multilateral process to achieve net zero by 2070. India has been successfully decoupling its economic growth from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resulting in a reduction of the emission intensity of its GDP by 33% between 2005 and 2019. This is despite having no binding mitigation obligations under the UNFCCC in the pre-2020 period. India’s solar energy capacity has increased by more than 26 times, and wind energy capacity has more than doubled in the last 10 years. It now has the fourth largest installed capacity of wind, and fifth largest solar in the world, achieving a target of 40% installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuels in November 2021, nine years ahead of schedule, and then increasing the target to 50%. There is also an unprecedented focus to provide basic services such as pucca housing, round-the-clock electricity, clean drinking water, universal health insurance, and clean cooking gas, which will leave an indelible mark in the fight against climate change. India recognises that development and environment are two sides of the same coin, and must be taken together for all-round holistic development. Unless the world truly believes in the age-old Indian ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — One Earth, One World and One Future — we will be unable to solve a global collective action problem like climate change. Our common vision that all of Earth is but one family, and empathy for all fellow species on Earth and reverence for nature is the only way to sustainability, choosing moderation over profligacy. Unlike during the Cold War and the unipolarity thereafter, the world now craves for newer, sustainable, achievable, and realistic ideas to tide over the effects of climate change, and not on any ‘ism’ based on western import and rhetoric. India’s model of sustainable development must act as a rallying cry for developing countries to counter the narratives presented by the developed world, bringing science and evidence to the forefront of policy-making. Dr J R Bhatt (jrbhatt@nic.in) was formerly Scientist, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He tweets at @JRbhatt60. Views are personal.
