A Climate Change Narrative That India Can Steer

Context: Climate Change is severely affecting India and the upcoming COP26 at Glasgow provides India an opportunity to reflect and make course correction in its environmental policies.

Impact of Climate Change on India

• Rise in mean temperature: “Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region” Report by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) reveals that
  • India has warmed up 0.7° C during 1901-2018 and 2010-2019 was the hottest decade.
  • India may experience a 4.4° C rise by the end of this century
• Heatwaves continues to increase with no signs of diminishing greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Prolonged exposure to heat is detrimental to public health, especially the poor, unable to afford support for coping with the heat.
• Rising frequency of climate disasters: India has suffered two of 10 most expensive climate disasters in the last two years ie.
  • Super-cyclone “Cyclone Amphan” that hit India in 2020, that cost India more than USD13 billion.
  • “June-October Monsoon Flooding” that cost USD10 billion and around 1,600 lives.
• Rising Internally Displaced Populations(IDPs): According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, India’s IDPs are rising due to damaging climate events.
  • Uttarakhand residents began deserting their homes after the Kedarnath floods in 2013 due to heavy precipitation that increases every year.
• Coastal erosion: Due to climate change-induced sea-level rise, land erosion, and natural disasters such as tropical cyclones between 1990-2016.
  • India lost about 235 square kilometers to coastal erosion, and led to displacement of people living in Coastal areas.
• Frequent Droughts: India’s Deccan plateau has seen eight out of 17 severe droughts since 1876.
  • Displacements due to water shortages: Hatkarwadi village in Maharashtra State, had as few as 10-15 families remaining out of the previous population count of 2,000 people.

India’s policy initiatives towards mitigation of climate change

• India & France co-founded the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at COP21 aiming mobilizing USD 1 trillion in investments for deployment of solar energy at affordable prices by 2030.
• Ambitious INDC tagets under Paris Agreement: to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% and increase green energy resources (non-fossil-oil based) to 40% of installed electric power capacity by 2030.

Issues with India’s policy approach: Weak in implementation

• ISA lags in implementation: Which is evident from India’s poor performance in renewable energy under 2020 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
• Over shooting promises: India’s carbon emission trajectory shows that India is en route to achieve barely half of the pledged carbon sink by 2030.

Conclusion: Being one of the observer states of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) as well as an influential member of COP26, India has the ability to improve its global positioning by leading a favourable climate goal aspiration for the world to follow.