Push for renewable energy welcome, but focus on adaptation

THE Interim Budget for 2024-25 has given a fillip to the green economy in a bid to accelerate India’s efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The push for renewable energy and cleaner fuel alternatives has come at a time when India is assuming a key role in amplifying the voice of the Global South for climate justice.

Being the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, India has faced mounting pressure to step up initiatives in the global fight to shift to clean energy. The recent budgets, including the latest one, have been strategically framed to address these challenges and reflect the seriousness with which the government is taking the issues of climate change and climate justice.

It is no secret that climate change is already upon us and impacting human health. India features among the top 10 vulnerable countries facing the brunt of it. In recent years, the country has witnessed heavy rains destroying crops, flashfloods ravaging lives, properties and infrastructure, severe droughts and forest fires raging and burning colossal vegetation cover. The recent long spell of dry winter in Kashmir is the latest in the series of incidents of climate change impact affecting tourism and livelihoods.

Worldwide, businesses are also increasingly being impacted by shifting climate patterns. A Deloitte Global survey of 2021 found that over 80 per cent of executives are concerned about climate change. An increasingly warming world has now started stinging the music business, too. A report in the Billboard’s sustainability column, ‘The Green Note’, in October stated at least 30 major concerts were affected due to the extreme weather.

The challenges facing the developing world are more severe. It is well known that climate change hits poor countries and sections the hardest, widening the socio-economic disparity. As the world grapples with pressing issues such as investing in adaptation and fostering resilience, the spotlight is on loss and damage, along with residual impact.

It is ironic that the countries that are facing adverse effects of climate change and are debt-ridden have done the least to contribute to this problem. Today, most of these vulnerable countries are unsure where to invest their limited finances. Should they use their funds to reduce their debt, alleviate hunger and poverty or to build resilience to combat the crisis?

Climate change poses significant problems for food and nutritional security, while also affecting other sectors. Although some of the rich nations are acknowledging the reality of climate change, there is a pervasive reluctance to pay for the damage for which they are responsible.

India is among the most unequal countries in the world, as per the World Inequality Report (2022). The country’s 5 per cent own more than 60 per cent of the nation’s wealth, affirms another report (Oxfam, 2023). India’s efforts in adopting renewable energy are laudable, but it is crucial that the policies do not affect the livelihoods of the poor and further deepen the differences. It is imperative that livelihoods are taken care of and provision for alternative job opportunities is created.

Regional and national leaders have a critical role to play in implementing climate justice policies and resolving the barriers of inequality that stand in the way of effective climate action and a sustainable as well as just future. Acknowledging this need, the recently concluded flagship event of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), the 23rd edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit, was curated under the umbrella theme of ‘Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice.’ Global leaders from various fields advocated for collaborative and collective leadership to translate policies into actionable solutions during the three-day summit.

Although the Interim Budget focuses on the green economy and climate investments, it has not considered the provisions for climate adaptation. Somehow, climate adaptation traditionally has never got recognition the way mitigation, designed to reduce or prevent the emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the environment, has worldwide. In the last Budget, too, adaptation measures prompted a cursory and indirect reference at best, while mitigation efforts have been clearly spelt out with the introduction of green growth initiatives such as green mobility, energy efficiency and the green hydrogen mission. However, developing adaptation solutions and framing a prompt response to current and future climate change impacts is critical and needs to be prioritised.

We are already in the throes of climate change. The climate disasters that have happened in recent years, including in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, call for a dedicated allocation of funds for adaptation. While greenhouse gas mitigation efforts are crucial in this battle, adaptation, which involves adjusting to existing climate change, is a necessity and no longer a choice.

A recent study by the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy warns that India is staring at a warmer and wetter future if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed. Adaptation actions, therefore, are the need of the hour. They include developing climate-resilient infrastructure and green solutions, ensuring the health of our ecosystem, and protecting the lives and incomes of the communities and sectors living in vulnerable regions. Government policies, the adoption of technology in adapting to environmental changes and creating places that are livable through planning and engineering to halt migration are some of the ways to achieve adaptation objectives. If we are to avoid bigger risks in the future, we should be willing to put ambitious measures in place to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. For that, we need to implement policies, generate social cooperation and develop integrated responses linking mitigation and adaptation with other regional and national objectives.

As India looks to fulfil its ambitious targets in pursuit of a just and equitable society, it is crucial that it follows a holistic approach for the benefit of its citizens. The full Budget for 2024-25 will present an important opportunity for the government to build on the present.