Exploring India's Climate Crisis: Why Isn't it a Key Election Concern?

Aditya Valiathan Pillai

Aditya Valiathan Pillai

Nadeem Z

Editor’s Note: Aditya Valiathan Pillai works as a fellow and coordinator for adaptation and resilience at the Sustainable Futures Collaborative, a climate change research organization in New Delhi. The opinions shared in this article are his own. Check out more insightful pieces on CNN Opinion.

It's challenging to grasp the extent of the challenges posed by climate change in a vast country like India. One way to visualize this is by equipping a drone with a huge battery pack and flying it from one end of the country to the other.

Imagine beginning the journey in Bangalore, often referred to as India's Silicon Valley, in the autumn of 2022. Slowly navigate northwards until you reach the majestic Himalayas, just before the start of the national elections this week.

You would see a country experiencing constant turmoil.

Soon after departing, you'd catch a glimpse of the stylish homes and shiny skyscrapers belonging to Bangalore's emerging tech and business leaders, surrounded by heavy monsoon rains in September 2022. Continuing further north in March 2023, devastating fires rage through the forests of Karnataka state, with smoke blocking visibility for days.

In April 2023, the bustling and humid city of Mumbai experienced a tragic event where over a dozen people, mostly women, lost their lives due to extreme heat exposure at a large public gathering. Following this, Delhi faced severe flooding in July, causing entire stretches of the city to be underwater.

During the same summer, hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, a state with a population of over 240 million people, were inundated with heat-stroked workers struggling to cope with the scorching temperatures. As the season progressed, the anticipated sight of snow-capped Himalayan peaks was replaced by an almost snowless winter that extended into 2024.

Livestock wander the cracked bed of a dried-out pond amid a heatwave that hit New Delhi in the summer of 2022.

Livestock wander the cracked bed of a dried-out pond amid a heatwave that hit New Delhi in the summer of 2022.

The effects of India's severe weather extend far beyond its borders. It is a concern that impacts the global community. For example, when India imposes restrictions on wheat exports because of a heatwave or experiences delays in IT exports due to flooding in Bangalore, the livelihoods of people around the world are also affected.

India ranks as the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, following China and the US. Despite this, it is also recognized as the world's fastest-growing major economy.

The concern over how India addresses climate change is shared by all. Interestingly, climate change is not a prominent issue in India's six-week-long national election, unlike in countries like Australia, the UK, and the US, where election outcomes can be greatly impacted by climate policy stances. Both major parties, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, have included climate in their election manifestos, yet its significance in the election remains surprisingly low.

Climate politics in the developing world, such as in India, plays a significant role in shaping elections in subtle ways that may not always be obvious. Voter demands are influenced by climate impacts, often manifesting as concerns about livelihood and ongoing welfare support rather than being solely focused on environmental issues.

This can be observed in farmers requesting loan waivers and improved irrigation systems following periods of drought, urban households seeking lower electricity rates to manage cooling expenses, and calls for enhanced social welfare programs.

A boy takes a dip in a water container outside his slum dwelling in New Delhi, in May 2023.

A boy takes a dip in a water container outside his slum dwelling in New Delhi, in May 2023.

India, the world's most populous country, has a low average carbon emission per person. The current per-capita carbon emissions in India are 1.9 tons per person, which is less than half of the global average of 4.7 tons per person. In comparison to developed economies, India's emissions are several times lower.

India's climate policy is influenced by the unique balance of having low per-capita emissions and a rapidly growing economy. The current government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promoting the use of renewables and green manufacturing to boost job creation, while still depending on fossil fuels for economic growth. This approach is not far off from what previous governments have done.

When you look at the election manifestos of both the BJP and Congress parties, you will notice a multitude of commitments related to climate policy. These pledges cover various sectors and are fairly evenly spread between the two parties, although their priorities may vary.

Stump speeches throughout this campaign season have not featured climate change as a central issue.

Aditya Valiathan Pillai

But the topics related to climate change are scattered throughout various chapters and usually do not explicitly address the issue of "climate." Even though each party has a section on sustainable development, climate change is not a main focal point in their discussions.

During this campaign period, speeches from candidates have also not highlighted climate change as a key concern. Instead, parties tend to prioritize issues that are closely related to climate change, such as increasing support for the most vulnerable individuals, which could also help mitigate the impact of extreme weather events. Additionally, there is a focus on creating employment opportunities through environmentally friendly manufacturing practices and restructuring the agricultural sector in India.

The banks of the Yamuna river near the Taj Mahal in Agra were flooded in July 2023. Flooding and landslides happen often during India's monsoon season, causing a lot of damage. Experts believe that climate change is making these disasters more frequent and worse.

The flooded banks of the Yamuna river along the Taj Mahal in Agra, in July 2023. Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India's treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.

Politics in India often seems to downplay the importance of climate change in the minds of the voters. In 2018, when thousands of farmers marched through Maharashtra due to years of drought, their protest was more about rising agricultural debt, declining productivity, pests, and inadequate irrigation than about climate change.

A few years ago, I had a conversation with a Muslim woman from the poorer areas of North Bengal. She lived in a small house in an informal settlement in Delhi that was affected by a summer fire. Additionally, her family home in Bengal was damaged in a monsoon flood a few years later.

Despite facing these challenges, she works as a house cleaner in the wealthy neighborhoods of Delhi to support her large family of children and grandchildren. In the past elections, her main demands were for regular water supply (which she only receives once every two weeks from a water truck), affordable electricity (she mentioned paying around three times more than her wealthy employers due to an illegal connection), and cheaper healthcare.

Photo Illustration by Jason Lancaster/CNN/Getty Images/Adobe Stock

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Elections focus on addressing the need for development. Climate change challenges are addressed through short-term policies rather than comprehensive strategies.

This approach to climate politics is influenced by the limited awareness of climate change as a significant issue in India. A survey conducted in 2022 with more than 4,500 participants revealed that over 50% of respondents had little to no knowledge about climate change. However, when provided with a brief explanation of the issue, recognition of climate change increased to over 80% in the survey.

The array of temporary solutions for climate issues will only take us so far. They fall short when tested over time. For instance, securing significant public funds to redesign cities for better climate resilience requires a genuine public discussion about a future affected by climate change. Immediate investments are crucial to lessen the impact in the future.

Furthermore, the climate crisis emphasizes the need for global collaboration. As India's economy expands, its climate-related challenges will become harder for trading partners and global markets to overlook. Prioritizing immediate development goals over long-term climate resilience in domestic politics creates a void that global adaptation finance must address.

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This has a moral dimension, too. The climate impacts buffeting India today are largely because of the historical emissions of developed counterparts.

Global resilience should be a top priority in today's interconnected world. The climate challenges faced by the world's most populous nation are not only a local concern but also have global implications.

Tamanna Dalal from the Sustainable Futures Collaborative provided valuable assistance to the author during the research process.

Editor's P/S:

The article effectively highlights the severe climate challenges faced by India, ranging from extreme heat waves to devastating floods. It emphasizes the disconnect between the urgency of climate action and its low prominence in the ongoing national election. This discrepancy underscores the need for greater awareness and public discourse on climate change, especially in developing countries like India.

Furthermore, the article raises concerns about the potential consequences of prioritizing short-term development goals over long-term climate resilience. While addressing immediate needs is essential, it is equally crucial to invest in measures that mitigate the future impacts of climate change. Global collaboration and international support are vital to address this issue, particularly considering that the developed world bears significant responsibility for historical emissions. By prioritizing global resilience and recognizing the interconnectedness of climate challenges, we can collectively navigate the urgent threats posed by climate change.