The Climate Crisis: An Opportunity For India

Context: The threat of global warming facing the world has opened a new path to growth for India that will only advance its economic prospects.

The threat of global warming: According to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has following observations regarding global warming

• Greatly influenced by humans: It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land. 
• Irreversible impacts: Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean cryosphere and biosphere have occurred.
• Indian sub-continent ????most impacted: This is not only because our region lies within a relatively higher temperature tropical zone, but also because there are feedback loops related to the higher density of population, higher levels of ecological degradation and pollution and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.

Way Forward: Dealing with the two dimensions of climate change in tandem. India’s multilateral negotiations should be aligned with a transformed development strategy domestically. 

• Key elements of transformed economic development strategy are (as envisaged by National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) 2008): 
  • Energy security: Since 80 % of our oil supplies are imported, there needs to be a shift towards domestic renewable promotion to ensure energy security in future (solar and nuclear).
  • Bring changes in energy-intensive sectors: Like transportation- which is also a source of significant urban pollution. 
    • The policy ought to be to heavily tax the possession of private vehicles and invest, on a large scale, in mass transportation networks.
  • Promoting sustainable agriculture: Shift away from a water-intensive, chemical fertiliser and toxic pesticide-dependent intensive agriculture strategy to a water-frugal, micronutrient-based and non-pesticide agriculture.
    • This shift would bring major productivity gains and address climate change.

Conclusion: India has the opportunity to pioneer a new developmental pathway aligned to the compulsions of a climate-constrained world. It cannot pursue the energy-intensive and mass consumption model of advanced economies. India has no choice but to explore a different trajectory.

• The good news is that this will not only advance India’s economic prospects but also make it a powerful voice for persuading other countries.