Does India have a right to burn fossil fuels

Context: Debate on India’s dependence on coal against the backdrop of the Conference of the Parties (COP26), it comes as a surprise when the progressive circles also provide theories to justify this.

Issues with global framework of addressing climate change 

• Global South aping the development model of the North: For development, countries in the global south arguing that they need to increase their share in the global carbon budget.
  • As countries in south neither historically emitted nor currently emits carbon anywhere close to what the global North has, or does, in per capita terms.
• Double whammy of injustice for the global South when it comes to climate change.
  • As global south is not primarily responsible for climate change, but it’s   poor population will unduly bear the effect of climate change.
• Discussion of global injustice in terms of a carbon budget is quite limiting in its scope:
  • There is such injustice between the rich and the poor within nations and between humans and non-human species.
  • Mitigation from the South alone will not make the difference required for climate mitigation.
• Global south is arguing for more coal to fulfil its development needs: But burning more coal will not necessarily solve the climate catastrophe problem.
• Deadlock between North and South: North justifying operating coal mines since the South continues to emit more and the South negotiating for a higher share in carbon budget based on the past emissions of the North. 
• Lack of action against climate change both in the North and South has been maintained by dividing the working classes of these two regions.

Way forward

• Global North pay for the energy transition in the South: Through Chalking out an independent, greener path to development that will
• Create conditions for such negotiations and give the South the moral high ground to force the North to come to the table, like South Africa did at Glasgow.
• Implementation of global progressive agenda that does not pit the working class of the North against the South. 
• Resistance against global ruling elite in its aggressive and dangerous model of competitive emissions by working people of the world. 
• Usage of cleaner forms of energy for economic development: Argument in favour of coal is on account of its cost, reliability and domestic availability. But, recent data show that the levelised cost of electricity from renewable energy sources like 
  • Solar (photovoltaic), hydro and onshore wind has been declining sharply over the last decade and is already less than fossil fuel-based electricity generation.
• South-South collaborations to mitigate climate change: It will help countries in south like India  to  avoid the patterns of trade between the North and the South, where North  controls technology and the south merely provides inputs.

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