India has not been historically a big contributor to global warming but has a key role to shape the global discourse on the issue of climate change due to its large population and consumption of energy.
Climate change is not an obscure concept but a reality visible to us in our daily lives. All of us can feel the difference in the rain patterns, variation in temperatures and the intensity of weather-related events. While there are prolonged periods of high temperature in summers, long dry spells during the monsoon can be witnessed. Sudden burst of showers inundating vast areas and causing loss of life and property are not uncommon. Our ancient seers were aware of the damage excessive human greed can cause to the mother earth. Our civilization has always taught to live in harmony with the mother earth and nature.
Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati, the 68th Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, who worked all his life for rejuvenating Hinduism and for strengthening India’s cultural traditions, foresaw the consequences of excessive consumerism much before the international community rose to the challenge of climate change caused by gases in the earth’s atmosphere trapping the sun’s heat and stopping it from leaking back into space.
Like Mahatma Gandhi, Periyava warned against human greed. He stressed that wants should not go beyond the necessities.“By multiplying wants, we only increase poverty. What is essential for life and honour should be made available to all the people of the country. It is for this we want plans. Men of means should live like the poor and should not increase their wants beyond necessities. The rich should share their prosperity with the poor. This is punya, leading to salvation. The more we increase our wants, to that extent, there will be no peace or comfort and it will only produce poverty and sorrow,” Periyava had said.
He described the mother earth as Kamadhenu. “Cultivate Friendly attitude to conquer the minds of men; Look at others as yourself, give up war; give up jealousy; don’t commit aggression without reason, mother earth is like Kamadhenu to fulfil wishes, The Lord God is like father showering mercy, people of the World ! live with discipline, live with charity, live with mercy, may all people attain greater well-being,” the seer had said.
The words of Periyava hold special significance as the world prepares for the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC next month in the United Kingdom. If the world had followed the advice of India’s seers and adopted its nature-friendly civilizational values, there would not have been the problem of climate change.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which sets out the basic legal framework and principles for international climate change cooperation, came about 1992. India’s civilization has since time immemorial laid thrust on living harmoniously with nature. Periyava and other saints had expounded on the theme in their discourses.
Apart from Hinduism, other religions that originated in India have had a strong relationship with nature. Buddhist monks go on three-month ‘Varshavas’ during the monsoon which sees nature rejuvenating itself in various forms. The Buddhist monks, who ordinarily would be mendicant wanderers, gather in monasteries during the rainy season for a time of study and religious discourse. The idea is also to not cause any hindrance to plants sprouting forth from mother earth or to cause any disturbance to animals. This year a grand ceremony to mark the end of Varshavas was held on the auspicious occasion of Ashwin Purnima on October 20 at Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
India has not been historically a big contributor to global warming but has a key role to shape the global discourse on the issue of climate change due to its large population and its ambitions goals to raise income of its citizens that will require much more consumption of energy. India has its own set of climate challenges with its large cities as also semi-urban areas seeing continuous decline in air quality. India also faces effects of climate change in terms of rising sea levels, melting glaciers and extreme weather events. Unprecedented and unseasonal spells of rains, such as in Kerala now, can be seen as clear manifestation of climate change and are causing huge losses. There is also an increase in frequency of cyclones along India’s long coastline.
According to an air quality report released by a Swiss organisation, IQAir 22, thirty most polluted cities in the world, including 14 in the top 15, are in India. This includes the second most polluted city, Ghaziabad in the national capital region.
Delhi’s air quality is also a major area of concern with the index staying in “hazardous” to “very unhealthy’ category for several days in winter months. Looking at the challenges India faces and its role as a responsible member of the global community, the country has embarked on an ambitious “green agenda” that focuses on increasing contribution of renewable energy and switching to electric vehicles for mobility. As with some other areas in global affairs, what India decides will shape the climate change outcomes in the coming years.
India is expected to become the most-populous country in the world by 2027. Though India is way behind the United States and China as emitter of carbon dioxide but it is the world’s third-largest emitter of the gas considered the most potent pollutant. India needs policies that ensure lower pollution, lower carbon emissions and jobs for its growing workforce.
In terms of per capita emissions, India is ranked 140th in the world. The United States is placed 14th and China 48th. Coal continues to be a major part of India’s power sector though there is growing thrust on diversification.Despite its multifarious challenges, India’s actions to combat emissions have been compatible with the goal of limiting global warming to an average of 2 degrees Celsius. Compared to India, China’s actions are seen as “highly insufficient” and that of United States “critically insufficient.” India is on course to meet two major pledges under the Paris agreement on climate change ahead of schedule. It has promised that 40 per cent of its electricity-generation capacity will come from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. It will also reduce its “emissions intensity” by at least one-third compared with 2005 levels.
As India pursues low-carbon, energy-efficient technologies, it has already reduced emission intensity by 21 per cent over 2005 levels. The country’s solar capacity has grown from 2.63 Gigawatts in 2014 to 36 Gigawatts in 2020 and its renewable energy capacity is the fourth largest in the world.India’s renewable energy capacity will reach 175 Gigawatts before 2022 and the target is to reach 450 Gigawatts by 2030. India has pioneered two major initiatives. The International Solar Alliance, and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
COP26 is a critical summit for global climate action. The NDCs (nationally determined contributions) submitted in 2015 were collectively not ambitious enough to limit global warming to ‘well below’ 2 degrees, not to speak of 1.5 degrees.The 2021 Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report noted that it is still possible to achieve the 1.5-degree-target if unprecedented action is taken now. Global emissions must halve by 2030 and reach ‘net-zero’ by 2050 to have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. At COP26, the signatories of the Paris Agreement are expected to submit more ambitious NDCs.
India’s traditions show how our ancestors always had a deep and spiritual link with the nature. Indians worshipped the nature and our ancient texts have ‘Devtas’ associated with the natural phenomenon – rain, wind, sun. There are animals associated it ‘devis’ and ‘devtas,’ symbolizing a deep link with the nature.
Hinduism is perhaps the only religion in the world in which some plants are held very sacred. The ancient science of Ayurveda is largely based on medicines derived from plants. Our ancient scriptures have the concept of Kalpavriksha and the Chaityavriksha. There are rituals associated with trees. The sacred trees include ashoka, peepal, banyan, banana, neem, coconut and sandalwood. The sacred plants include tulsi and bael. Lotus is held sacred and is associated with Goddess Laxmi. The flower has also symbolized spiritual enlightenment.
Peepal tree is the first-known depicted tree in India. A seal discovered at Mohenjodaro depicts peepal tree being worshiped. There is a belief that the tree represents the Trimurti – the roots being Brahma, the trunk Vishnu and the leaves Shiva. Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment under a peepal tree. The trunk of banana is used to erect welcoming gates and leaves are used to make the ceremonial pavilion. The leaves are used to serve “prashad”.
The trifoliate leaf or tripatra of the bael tree is believed to symbolize the three functions of the Lord- the creation, preservation and destruction as well as three eyes of Shiva. The beal is also sacred to the Jains. Beal (bilva, vilvam) is offered during worship of Lord Shiva.
It is considered essential for Chandramouleeswara puja and there is a story of how Periyava sent one of disciples to fetch it when it became very scarce. The seer sent him to the person who knew where it could be found.
Our rishis and saints went to forests in search of ultimate truth and meditated in silence. Our civilization developed along banks of rivers. Indians regard earth as “dhartimaa” (mother nature) and many salute it first thing in the morning.
Ganga is a river sacred to Hindus. The ashes of the dead are immersed in sacred rivers. Indians have been using earthen pots to store water. The mother earth is source of human life and it is a matter of satisfaction that in accordance with the love and respect of our saints towards the nature, the government is taking steadfast and firm steps to tackle the challenge of climate change.
