Climate change remains low priority in Indian elections but local economies can pave way to sustainable solutions

Last month, I received an email from Petra Molthan-Hill. Petra is an international multi-award-winning expert on climate change mitigation education. 

She was surprised. 

Petra referred to the reports in the European press which mentioned that climate change has not emerged as a ‘hot-button election issue in India’ —  despite almost 80 per cent of the Indian population living in areas vulnerable to the risk of climate-induced disasters. 

In 2022, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based public interest environment research and advocacy organisation, tracked extreme weather events in India. It found that India experienced extreme weather events on 314 out of the 365 days, meaning that at least one extreme weather event was reported in some part of India on each of these days. 

Climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll, who works at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, has often referred to how South Asia is becoming the poster child of climate change as the entire region, not just India, witnesses a clear trend in rising heat and cold waves, floods, landslides, droughts and cyclones. This, as he has pointed out, is already affecting the food, water and energy security of the region. 

This is not to say that we have, in recent times, not seen a slew of measures being announced by the government. 

These measures range from the last government’s vow to cut India’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2070, to declaration of the Green Hydrogen Mission with an allocation of Rs 19,700 crore. Investments and incentives have also been announced for renewable energy infrastructure.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), not to be left behind, has issued guidelines to foster the development of the ‘green bond’ market. 

In short, there have been several policy and regulatory measures. How they play out and the impact they have will unfold in the next few decades. The measures are an important part of creating an ecosystem that supports and encourages sustainable business practices. 

Even as we build these measures, the effects of climate change are there for us to witness and experience. 

The last couple of months have registered unprecedented temperatures in several parts of South Asia. 

Delhi, the national capital, saw temperatures touch 53 degrees. 

This month, many of us also saw a poignant viral video of inhabitants of Kumirmari islands of the Sundarbans holding plastic covers, battling the winds during Cyclone Remal. 

There are islands in the Sundarbans, whose features are being destroyed by the incoming waters. Ghoramara is at the top of that list. The total area of the island has reduced to one fourth due to severe inundation. 

Homes, schools and government offices have gone under water one after the other. 

Disparity in the garb of climate inaction

What is also apparent is that while climate change is a global phenomenon, it will impact the most vulnerable communities differently. 

A report on the ongoing heatwave in India suggests that 100 lives have already been lost with over 25,000 suffering from heat-related illness. 

Last year was the hottest year on record since the country’s weather started being recorded. The heatwave sparked an increase in demand for electricity leading to outages in many states. At the same time, experts told us that it is the poor people who have fewer resources to cool down as well as fewer options to stay inside away from the heat.

This is just another instance of the systemic inequalities that are part of our everyday lives. Climate irregularities influence migration, shift soil quality and impact cropping patterns. It also impacts working and living conditions. 

As the clarion call for sustainable futures acquires momentum, so does the exploration of methods, materials and experiments which will contribute to a sustainable ecological and economic model. A lot has been written and done about embedding mechanisms that promote learning and practising sustainability in education, lifestyles and technologies to embed them into everyday life. This may however be easier said than done. 

N Chandrasekaran, the chairperson of the board of Tata Sons in his remarkable co-authored book ‘Bridgital Nation’ highlights these challenges and the need for transformative vision rather than “muddling through” to find solutions. 

It also reminds us that India rarely lives in its averages. 

When we speak of India having a GDP per capita of Rs 14,000 per annum, it means that while Delhi and Goa may be around Rs 350,000, Bihar is at Rs 42,000. Two thirds of manufacturing occurs in seven states and just five states are responsible for over half of all post-graduates. These are just some of the facts within which the Indian economy operates.

Self-sustaining economy to combat climate change

The sustainable economy needs several innovative initiatives at various levels. One of the key components that is not often spoken about is building local self-sustaining ecosystems.

How does one create value chains around local indigenous materials? 

Ela Bhatt, the cooperative organiser who founded the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in 1972, advocated ‘100 mile’ economies and building self-sufficiency locally. 

The ‘100 mile’ principle of a decentralised economy reduces the distance between producers and consumers, and between people and the government, while also reducing carbon footprints and building resilient local economies. 

An example of this is how Gujarat’s Khamir has revived local cotton variety ‘kala’ and in the process revitalised the social, cultural, economic and ecological capacity of Kutch. 

We need more hyper-local businesses and ecosystem enablers to redefine the idea of progress which is sustainable, people and planet-centric. 

The 100 mile economies also bring recognition to workers in the supply chain rather than being part of the national workforce with a status as a producer and owner, with an income and dividend. 

She gains visibility, voice and representation. The 100 mile community has human scale and allows for voices to be heard and problems to be solved. Ela Bhatt would argue that the shorter the distance the more accountable we are to each other. 

Hyper-local businesses could potentially integrate health, agriculture, biodiversity and the management of local natural resources within a framework for a sustainable economic future that requires accountability at local, global and planetary levels.

Chandrika Parmar is Associate Professor, General Management, and Director, Department of Corporate Citizenship (DoCC), SPJIMR.

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