In 2021, Germanwatch released the Global Climate Risk Index which deemed India to be the 7th most affected nation due to climate change. What this would mean for a fast-growing economy, with a huge population to cater for and rising income inequality is concerning. In the recently held COP29, India boldly denied the COP29 Finance deal as it stood up for the combined pains of the Global South re-emphasising the needs to meet escalating climate challenges. Despite the challenges India faces, it has shown great initiatives such as the National Hydrogen Mission and its renewable energy targets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the aim for net-zero emissions by 2070. From the First Earth Summit in 1972 held in Stockholm, Sweden to the recently held COP29, India has come a long way. 

India’s Evolving Climate Policy 

The First World Climate Conference held in Geneva in 1979, was one of the first major international meetings on climate change. MS Swaminathan, was the only delegate from India to attend the conference, where he emphasized the importance of climate action. This was going to be just the beginning of India’s long climate fight. But the real thrust in the climate policy in India came in the 1990s wherein the larger structural changes in the Indian economy, paved the way for a new and improved intervention on climate policy in India. And all this became possible because the 1990s were a time of unprecedented change for India. India had just opened its markets with the new liberalization policies, The fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequently the end of the Cold War meant a reflection of changing times. What the world also saw now, was the emergence of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Forest Principles at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

Post the Rio Summit, India’s then Ministry of Environment and Forests saw the division of climate change and biodiversity. Since then, Climate Change has been an ever-growing issue. With the Kyoto Protocol in 1992, the idea of common but differentiated responsibilities became more important. India was exempted from any legally binding commitments. India has been a strong voice for the global south and emphasized that the Global North has historically produced more carbon emissions and hence the responsibility should be greater for the global north; while the global south is still developing. 

Major Provisions of India’s Climate Policy in the 21st Century

In June 2008, India released its National Action Plan on Climate Change, an ambitious strategy to promote ecological sustainability. Today, the National Action Plan has several submissions that include the National Solar Mission (NSM), National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE),  National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (NMSH), National Water Mission (NWM), National Mission for sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE), National Mission for a Green India (NMGI), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), and the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC). Aligning with the objectives of the NAPCC, 29 states and 7 union territories have prepared their own State Action Plan for Climate Change (SAPCC). It is coordinated with India’s climate policy and aims to focus on respective states’ local and specific needs.

In 2015 as a part of UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, India submitted its first Nationally Distributed Contribution (NDC) wherein it kept the target of reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level. India successfully achieved the target ahead of the target year. As per the 3rd NDC report submitted by India to UNFCCC in 2023, The emission intensity of its GDP has been reduced by 33 percent between 2005 and 2019. It also managed to achieve above 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources. India’s critical leadership role, as demonstrated in the G20 summit voiced the problems of the Global South as well as co-founding initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, One Sun One World One Grid, and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.  In the CoP26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the ‘Panchamrit’ elements of India’s climate action. In 2022, The government passed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, which sets out to introduce Carbon Markets, to minimize the country’s energy consumption and promote clean technology. This clearly shows India’s enthusiastic efforts to build up sustainable growth and its focus on equitable growth is truly commendable. While India’s achievements in climate goals are impressive, several challenges persist.

Issues in Hand

Researchers from the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) found that the support for Fossil fuels has increased over the years and the fossil fuel subsidies in India are nine times higher than renewable energy. While India has been continuously focusing on increasing the use of Electrical Vehicles (EVs) with a phenomenal rise in the use of EVs in the past 2-3 years, the true success can only be measured in terms of increased usage of renewable energy. While it is positive to note that the government’s Green India Mission focuses on green highways, increasing forest cover, etc. it has not had a huge impact. The forest and tree cover in India in 2015 was 24.16 percent of the total land, barely increasing to 24.62 percent by 2021. The budget allocation for The Green India Mission unfortunately saw a decline from NR246 crore in 2020-21 to INR235 crore in 2021-22.

 In 2020, India emerged as the 3rd biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses. India’s over-dependence on coal may create a hindrance to its hopes of energy transition and achieving carbon neutrality. While India focuses on its growing economy, impetus should be given to catering to sustainable growth. Recent natural disaster cases such as floods in Wayanad, cracks in Joshimath, etc have made it evident that India needs to have a quick and efficient climate disaster action force. While India’s work on climate policies is commendable, India lags behind in climate resilience and disaster action. With extreme climate becoming more frequent, In 2023, Northwest India saw 37% of deaths due to extreme weather events. India’s climate policies should also focus on disaster management and better resilience. 

The recently wrapped COP29, held in November 2024, also saw how the entirety of the global south including India was completely ignored as developed countries managed to force an agreement of $300 Billion, far off from the demanded $1.3 trillion per year. This decision clearly was a watered down amount from what India and other developing countries had hoped for. This would ultimately lead to lower impact when it comes to climate resilience of the global south. 

Way for the Future

Despite these challenges, India’s future is a very hopeful one, and its climate action policies seem promising despite the challenges. India’s LiFE mission (Lifestyle for Environment) that was introduced in CoP26 was a step in the right direction. The promotion of a circular economy and the persistent efforts in behavioral shift measures such as the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar have been highly successful. India should also continue its focus on ambitious solar plans and focus on coal-less energy alternatives. India’s other policy focus should be on the rising plastic waste problem. India has not been able to eliminate single-use plastics despite various efforts from the government from time to time. India’s net-zero emissions that are aimed to be achieved by 2070 is a very hopeful one, and with efficient policy-level changes and implementations, the development of climate targets can be successfully met. 

Conclusion

Climate change is a global phenomenon, yet it is every country’s responsibility to avoid its repercussions and reduce, if not reverse, the effects of climate change. Climate change has been a recurring discourse in human history, but still, the climate policies for the future need to evolve and adapt to changing times. India’s role in climate policies has been rather vocal with a global call for action through its philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, but a lot of ground needs to be covered when it comes to the practical implementation of these policies. Thus, India needs to evolve and improve its policies and work on faster disaster management for changing times. Climate change is a real phenomenon with actual implications and with persistent efforts,  India can strive for a hopeful future in terms of climate change policies.