Is Climate Change on the Agenda for the 2024 Indian General Elections?
Unfolding election dynamics- A closer look at climate change and sustainability through manifestos, election campaigns, and voters’ perspectives
With just a week of voting left now, India witnessed the 2024 general elections amid a sweltering heatwave, with citizens gathering the courage to cast their votes in extreme temperatures. Release of manifestos, months of huge-glamorous political rallies, election campaigns, press releases, and people-pleasing speeches by leaders- after all these, it is now evident how political parties and nation’s future leaders rank climate crisis in their lists of pressing issues.
Starting with the positives, climate issues made it to the manifestos this election, not just as water and waste management or forest rights but also featuring renewable energy to a large extent and progressive approaches like Green credits and Green funds. A coalition of economists, ecologists, and experts presented a Green manifesto this year, which calls for achieving sustainability, and reducing future environmental and social costs.
Analyzing Manifestos and Election Campaigns
The two leading rival national parties of India, namely the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), have both given a column to climate change and sustainability in their manifestos (that’s a different thing that it appears last in their manifestos). Many other national and regional parties like the CPI (M), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and DMK have also mentioned their proclaimed policies for mitigating climate crisis.
BJP’s Record and Promises on Climate Change
Undoubtedly, India’s COP 26 commitment and continued efforts to achieve Net Zero by 2070, marked a significant advancement and led to the perception of the Modi-led Government as a climate leader internationally. Equally bold was to announce the tripling of renewable capacity by 2030 in his G20 presidency in India. Despite all this, the worrisome aspect is that the ruling party’s efforts to phase out coal have been duplicitous in their 10-year tenure. In June 2023, the government imposed a five-year pause on all new coal-fired plants and planned to close 30 mines for reforestation purposes within the next three years. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Coal released plans to produce more than a billion tonnes of coal between 2023 and 2024. In line with this, the Indian government decided to triple coal production from waning mines by 2028 to meet energy demands, with NTPC sanctioning the construction of three coal plants worth 4.5 GW.
Coming to the manifesto, Energy Independence by 2047, a 500 GW renewable energy target, expanding forest covers, and reducing air pollution are a few agendas visible.
How are they gonna fulfill it?
Well, the manifesto merely touches on the details, mentioning a few buzzwords like electric mobility, increasing energy efficiency, and establishing India as a global manufacturing hub for wind and solar energy by setting up “mega” solar and wind parks.
Consequences?
I believe that’s an aspect often overlooked until it strikes. An example is the multiple deaths of the Great Indian Bustard in setting up renewable energy sources and high-voltage transmission lines.
Namami Gange- the mission to clean and protect river Ganga- failed in various aspects as the river remains far from clean despite substantial investments.
However, their promise to strengthen the recently launched Green Credit program and reward industries and people for environment-positive work is one thing that seems revolutionary for a country like India. The new inclusion in their manifesto is launching the National Atmospheric Mission — Mausam for making India climate smart. How? That’s a question yet to be answered!
Congress’ Climate Agenda
Congress has been focusing on climate change for the past three elections now. While India might not have been perceived as a climate leader at international conferences under UPA rule, environmental activists and experts assert that the UPA government demonstrated greater transparency in these matters. Their manifesto, though visionary, lacks specifics. The promise that catches the eye is the setting of the “Green New Deal Investment Programme” and “Green Transition Fund”
Green New Deal Investment Programme - Focused on renewable energy sustainable infrastructure and the creation of green jobs
Green Transition Fund — To facilitate the funding required for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy.
The appealing aspect of the manifesto is the connection between the unemployment issue and environmental sustainability, as they promise to generate millions of jobs through renewable energy management, infrastructure development, and the mining of critical minerals, or in other words Green Jobs. Another noteworthy idea floated by Congress is setting up an “independent” Environment Protection and Climate Change Authority, similar to that of the US Environmental Protection Agency, to monitor and enforce environmental standards. In addition, countering air pollution, protecting coastal equilibrium, and expanding renewable capacity are a few similar to that of the BJP.
Congress has clearly learned from the present government’s negligence regarding Ladakh’s fragile equilibrium and has guaranteed the inclusion of local communities in addressing deforestation and other environmental issues, while also ensuring forest rights for indigenous communities. They have also addressed ecological balance by introducing disaster management plans for animals.
While these are the two major national parties, a few other parties have also addressed climate change in their manifesto. DMK has 18 proposals, majorly focused on disaster management, while CPI is the only national party to mention coal explicitly in their manifesto. While the BJPs manifesto focuses on the power sector and renewables, Congress has touched upon varied sectors of sustainability as well as ecological balance. Personally, Congress’ manifesto looks better presented regarding climate change and sustainability, incorporating new ideas, building upon the ruling party’s ongoing schemes, and reintroducing schemes from the UPA government. However, the visionary goals that the Modi Government has set at the international level can not be overlooked.
Perception
What truly matters is how people perceive the urgency and necessity of a party’s policies and agendas for combating climate change. The need to mitigate climate crises is striking people, though limited to basic forms only, like polluted air and heat waves, especially being prominent in this year of El Niño. However, it is still too peripheral for election purposes, as voting in India is largely influenced by caste and religion.
So is for the political parties! Many of these agendas are more people-pleasing than what the ecologists and environmentalists raise for. Several areas where sustainability can be introduced in a comparatively shorter time are not even in the picture as of now.
I wonder whether these manifestos are truly based on data or merely composed of estimates without evaluating potential future problems. Except for these agendas being featured in the manifestos, there has been negligible discussion about them on media channels, or in election speeches.
While it’s good that environmental issues mentioned in these manifestos are linked to everyday problems like air pollution, cheap electricity, and gas supply, the challenge lies in recognizing that citizens’ issues and climate crises are interconnected. It should not just revolve around gas subsidies or free provisions of basic amenities. The government supplying cheap electricity, water, or gas supplies at the expense of harm to the environment would result in deviation from the actual purpose of bringing in these agendas.
What about the election campaign’s carbon footprint?
The electoral process in India is estimated to have an impact equivalent to burning 244 million liters of fossil fuels. It’s crucial for these issues to be debated in parliament with “complete attendance”. Adding to it, even the Election Commission of India (ECI) should devise methods to monitor the carbon footprint during the elections, driving motivation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and even imposing parties to start regular assessment and reporting of their carbon footprint to ensure accountability.
Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the people. It is on us to rank climate change a little higher on our priority lists before heading to the polling booth and the media to question leaders and hold them accountable for their policies and past works on climate change and sustainability.
