Bharatiya Model of Development: Tackling global climate change the Indian way

It has been almost three months since the Indian government released the Economic Survey report and announced the Union Budget. During this time, analysis of these documents in the news media were often interrupted by the climatic disturbances battering the country's towns, cities and villages.

It has become the central point of evening gatherings, office talks or even a casual exchange between two strangers sharing a bus ride that the climate in India has taken a sudden and unprecedented turn. But we are not yet too committed to dig up the reasons for it.

This lack of commitment can be, without fail, attributed but not limited to the overdosage of a medium of expression that has devoured our present mindedness and consciousness and is anything but a medium of self-expression. But more on that some other time.

India as a nation and its people seem to be poles apart on the issue of climate change. Those who know don’t talk about it enough and those who don’t might be better off not taking up the solutions offered in the consumer-driven market society.

The solutions to address climate change, as is outlined in the Economic Survey report, “are fuelled by a market society, which seeks to substitute the means to achieve overconsumption rather than addressing overconsumption itself”. This fact cannot and should not be used to undermine the responsibilities and challenges that not just India but the whole world faces today.

India, often criticised as one of the world’s largest polluters, faces significant challenges as it strives to meet the energy demands of a rapidly developing economy.

Yet, the statistics tell a different story — one that developed nations often shy away from acknowledging and providing support for climate financing. India is on course to becoming the third-largest economy by 2030, naturally leading to a sharp increase in its energy needs, which is expected to grow 1.5 times faster than the global average over the next 30 years.

However, in the face of these daunting challenges, India has made remarkable strides in reducing its environmental impact. Between 2005 and 2019, India reduced its emission intensity relative to gross domestic product by 33 per cent, achieving its initial Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 2030 target eleven years ahead of schedule.

Furthermore, 40 per cent of India’s installed electric capacity now comes from non-fossil fuel sources, nine years ahead of the 2030 target. From 2017 to 2023 alone, India added around 100 gigawatts of installed electric capacity, with around 80 per cent of this attributed to non-fossil fuel-based resources.

These achievements greatly complement India's low historical cumulative emissions — about 4 per cent between 1850 and 2019 — and per capita emissions, which remain minimal despite being home to over 17 per cent of the global population.

Globally, there exists a stark disparity in per capita emissions: The top 10 per cent of individual emitters averaged 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021, over 200 times the emissions of the bottom 10 per cent.

India is not immune to the devastating impacts of climate change. Recent years have seen multiple climate-related disasters, resulting in significant loss of life and property.

However, for India to address these challenges, it requires a uniquely Indian approach — one that views the problem through a distinct lens, empowering citizens through economic development while simultaneously addressing the challenges of climate change. 

As argued in the Economic Survey 2024, a one-size-fits-all model for tackling climate-related issues will not suffice. Instead, India needs a “Bharatiya Model of Development”, one that is rooted in the principles of sustainability and tailored to India’s unique circumstances.

This philosophy is reflected in India’s significant contributions to global climate action through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the creation of LeadIT, Infrastructure for Resilient Island States and the Big Cat Alliance.

India’s ethos has long emphasised a harmonious relationship with nature, in stark contrast to the overconsumption patterns and solutions to climate change prevalent in much of the developed part of the world. “If India, with its large population, chooses to go down this path, the climate consequences for the country and the world will be hugely negative.” 

India has consistently advocated for a global movement on climate change that is accommodative of sovereign choices and economic needs, yet centered on individual behaviour — epitomised by the concept of ‘LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment). Mission LiFE, a unique initiative announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, seeks to bring individual responsibility to the forefront of the fight against climate change.

It includes a comprehensive list of 75 LiFE Actions, encouraging individuals to live more sustainably by making pro-planet choices without compromising on quality of life. Rooted in ancient Indian philosophy, this approach emphasises deliberate choices that consider the well-being of future generations and can inspire the whole world with India at its helm. As the ancient wisdom reminds us: Prakriti rakshati rakshitaha —“Nature protects those who protect nature.”

In the end, it is not about comparing one country with the other or appreciating one country or demeaning others, but about every nation, developed or developing, assuming the weight of responsibilities in its own capacity and sharing the economic burden of it.

Climate change is not such an agenda which can only be tackled by a council or an association or united. It is as much mine as it is yours. Our generations will dwell, under its wrath or its benevolence, whatever we leave them of it.

Given the history of Indian philosophies and their roots, which are now practiced world over in different forms, it is only right to take up the path of ancient wisdom one step at a time, before it is too late for the whole world to make amends even with collective efforts. This might just be India’s golden chance to save the whole world from itself.

Prakhar Garg is a communications assistant with CEED, at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. 

Prasu Jain is an officer of the Indian Statistical Service of 2021 Batch, currently posted as assistant director at Price Statistics Division, MoSPI.

Views expressed are the authors’ own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.