Majority in India want country to lead fight against climate change

New Delhi, Oct 20 A significant number of Ind are of the opinion that policy makers and the leadership in the country should not wait for other countries and institutions before taking concrete steps to mitigate the impact of climate change and global warming.

This is perhaps because a majority of Ind are now convinced that global warming presents a clear danger to their lives and livelihoods, apart from endangering the prospects of future generations. This was revealed by a nationwide survey conducted by CVoter on behalf of the Yale Program of Climate Change Communication. The survey was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022 and covered a scientifically designed random sample size of 4619 adult Ind who were above 18 years of age.

More than half of people in India (55 per cent) say India should reduce its own emissions of the gases that cause global warming immediately without waiting for other countries. In contrast, only 6 per cent say India should reduce its own emissions only if rich countries go first, and 17 per cent say India should reduce its own emissions only if all the other countries of the world reduce their emissions at the same time. Additionally, 8 per cent say India should not reduce its emissions under any circumstances, while 15 per cent say they don't know or did not provide a response.

The percentage of people in India who say India should reduce its emissions immediately is 19 percentage points higher than in 2011, while the percentage who say India should reduce its own emissions only if rich countries go first (-11 percentage points), and the percentage who say India should not reduce its emissions under any circumstances (-5) are both lower than in 2011.

Speaking on the subject, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University said, "A majority of people in India (59 per cent) say that in the future India should use either "much more" (42 per cent) or "more" (16 per cent) renewable sources of energy, like solar panels and wind turbines, than it does today. Relatively few respondents (12 per cent) say India should use either "much less" (3 per cent) or "less" (9 per cent) renewable energy, and 13 per cent say India should use the same amount of renewable energy as it does today."

Dr. Jagadish Thaker of the University of Auckland, said, "Most respondents (54 per cent) also say India should use "much less" (23 per cent) or "less" (31 per cent) fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and gas, than it does today. Few respondents (13 per cent) say India should use "much more" (8 per cent) or "more" (5 per cent) fossil fuels, and 18 per cent say India should use the same amount of fossil fuels as it does today."

Most people in India are willing to join a citizens' campaign to convince leaders in India to take action on global warming. A large majority of people in India (76 per cent) say they are either "already participating" (6 per cent) or are "definitely" (57 per cent) or "probably" (14 per cent) willing to join a campaign to convince elected officials to take action to reduce global warming. In contrast, few people in India (8 per cent) say they either "probably" (3 per cent) or "definitely" (5 per cent) would not join such a campaign.

Yashwant Deshmukh of CVoter Foundation observed: "The CVoter survey for the Yale Program reveals that close to two thirds of Ind want their government to do more to address global warming. Besides, almost three in every four Ind want the country to actively participate in the Paris Climate Agreement that has fixed specific targets to reduce carbon emissions by 2030."

The survey further reveals that 83 per cent of Ind want formal training for citizens about global warming. This is up 13 per cent since late 2011 when a similar survey was conducted. Besides, while 6 per cent stated they already do, another 57 per cent was definitely willing to join a citizen's campaign against global warming.

India has been an active participant and supporter of the Paris Agreement and policy makers claim that the country will control, curb and reduce its carbon footprint before the target years set by global agreements.