Climate change a top priority for India's Gen Z voters. Are parties listening?

The ongoing general election in India has a distinct dimension to it: hotter weather. Slides in voter turnout and the collapse of a Union minister have been attributed to heatwave, for which many blame climate change. But how important is this issue for common voters and political parties?

Weathermen have issued extreme heatwave warnings for parts of Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka that are voting in the second phase on April 26.

According to the World Bank, more than 80 per cent of India’s population resides in districts that are at risk of climate-induced disasters. “Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, declining groundwater levels, retreating glaciers, intense cyclones, and sea-level rise can precipitate major crises for livelihoods, food security, and the economy,” it said in November last year.

More than nine million people in India are suffering from the adverse effects of climate change, says a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report.

For 1.8 crore young Indians voting for the first time, climate change is the third most important societal issue, according to a survey published by Deloitte last year.

But this issue has hardly had any resonance in the election campaigns over the years.

India Today has analysed the election manifestos of two major national parties – the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress – to assess their policies concerning climate change.

The word “climate” in the context of environmental degradation features 10 times in the Congress manifesto while it appears at four places in the BJP’s poll document named ‘Modi Ki Guarantee 2024’. Congress’ ‘Nyay Patra’, however, has a dedicated section to “Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Management”.

The BJP intends to reinforce existing initiatives such as the National Clean Air Programme and achieving net zero carbon emissions whereas the Congress party, which has been out of power for nearly ten years, has introduced several new policy proposals.

The manifestos emphasize some shared objectives, including expanding forest cover, protecting coastal ecosystems, mitigating human-animal conflicts, and reducing air pollution. While the country braces for a heated game of Lok Sabha elections, it is also bearing the heat of intense heat waves across the sub-continent which is predicted to worsen in the coming weeks.

BJP - STRENGTHENING THE PLEDGES

BJP’s manifesto talks about achieving net zero emissions by 2070 – a commitment India made at COP26 in 2021, and energy independence by that year. On the global front, it has promised to set up a Center of Excellence for clean energy technologies and establish India as a global manufacturing hub for wind, solar, and green hydrogen technologies.

The Green Credit programme launched recently by the BJP government incentivises taking positive actions towards environment like water conservation. In a way similar to the Carbon Credit programme which rewards people with encashable credits for reducing carbon emission, the green credit programme is created to reward people with credits for all kinds of environment positive work.

One of the highlights of Modi’s Guarantee for Sustainable Bharat is the launch of Namami Gange-inspired programmes aiming to improve the health of all major rivers in India. Under the National River Conservation Plan, the manifesto promises to integrate dam construction, Amrit Sarovar construction, and basin management.

The most innovative aspect of the manifesto concerning climate change is the commitment to initiate the National Atmospheric Mission, named 'Mausam', aimed at preparing India to be 'weather ready' and 'climate smart'.

CONGRESS - EXPLORING NEW AVENUES

On zero carbon emission goals, Congress expectedly sticks to the country’s official commitment of 2070 as the cut-off year. National Clean Air programmme and steps to reduce human-animal conflict are some of the intentions that Congress shares with the rival BJP.

Other measures promised by Congress include the formation of the Environment Protection and Climate Change Authority to uphold climate regulations, the establishment of the Green Transition Fund for state government and private sector to work together, and the re-introduction of the prohibition of the Manual Scavenging Act of 2013.

The idea for an independent committee carries the notion of Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who during his short stint as environment minister during the UPA rule, set up an organisation on the lines of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Another new idea is about transitioning from the National Action Plan on climate change, originally launched in 2008 and still under implementation to a National Climate Resilience Development Mission that will integrate climate-positive actions.

Apart from the Green Transition Fund, a Green New Deal Investment programme is also suggested that would focus on renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and the creation of environment jobs.

It has also announced to set up a high-level committee to proactively address landslides in hilly regions and implement measures to mitigate their impacts before they occur.

But climate watchers say the measures are not sufficient enough to address climate concerns. “According to a fashion magazine, 87 per cent of clothing or equivalent to 40 million tons annually ends up in landfills. We need a revolutionary approach to make the fashion industry more sustainable and reduce waste,” says Mumbai-based climate enthusiast Debasree Das.

22-year-old climate activist Poornima Sai feels little is being done on the ground despite promises on paper. “Better planning is essential to ensure urban growth does not impact the environment. The recent instance of landslides in Joshimath and Uttarkashi is worrisome,” Sai tells India Today.

India’s NetZero aspirations are heavily dependent on reforms within the power sector. Such as fulfilling 50 per cent of the country’s energy requirements through renewable energy by 2030, bringing non-fossil energy capacity to 500 Gigawatts by 2030, and reducing 1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions of projected emissions by 2030.

As power accounts for almost 34 per cent of India’s carbon emissions and 8.2 per cent of global power emissions, the industry is at the backbone of India’s decarbonisation plan. But as India continues to add new coal generation capacity and continues to fulfil the majority of its power requirements from coal (75 per cent of India’s power generation from coal, declining only slightly from 78 per cent in FY16), many feel it is falling behind its targets.

Noise pollution and population control are key concerns for Gen Z voters, yet party manifestos currently lack specific policies to address these issues.