New Delhi: A big majority of Indians are in favour of the government and citizen groups to take more concrete and specific steps to combat the adverse effects o climate change and global warming.
A significant number is already worried or very worried about the harm caused by global warming to their lives and livelihoods and wants the Centre to take pro-active measures to reduce carbon emissions without waiting for other countries to act.
Climate change agreements have been a contentious issue with many national governments going back on their pledges. But Indians want to move ahead irrespective of what other nations do.
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 4,619 adult Indians who were above 18 years of age.
“While many in India still do not know much about global warming, they overwhelmingly think the climate is changing and that they have personally experienced the impacts,” said Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University.
Yashwant Deshmukh of CVoter Foundation, observed: “They are hopeful for a national program to teach all Indians about global warming (83 per cent, +13 since 2011), a national programme to train people for new jobs in the renewable energy industry (83 per cent; not asked previously) and encouraging local communities to build check dams to increase local water supplies (82 per cent, +14).”
Dr. Jagadish Thaker of the University of Auckland, added: “Preserving or expanding forested areas, even if this means less land for agriculture or housing (69 per cent, +12), requiring new buildings to waste less water and energy, even if this increases their cost (69 per cent, +12) and requiring that new automobiles be more fuel efficient, even if this increases the cost of cars and bus fare (66 per cent, +11) are clear priorities.
According to the survey, 82 per cent of Indian respondents want local communities to be encouraged to build check dams to improve water supplies. This is up 14 per cent from late 2011 when a similar survey was conducted.
The state of Gujarat has been praised by a number of reputed analysts for using check damns to dramatically improve productivity in agriculture.
The other big step that Indians want the government to take is related to renewable energy. About eight in 10 respondents are of the opinion that more people need to be trained to join jobs in the renewable energy sector. As of end August 2022, India already had an installed renewable energy capacity of 163 giga watts and is on course to generate 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources.
A large majority (69 per cent) wants new builds to less water & energy while two hires want vehicles to be more fuel efficient even if it means higher costs.
Overwhelming numbers in India say global warming will cause either a “great deal” or a “moderate amount” of harm to people and other species. That includes plant and animal species (80 per cent), people in India (77 per cent), future generations of people (77 per cent), people in their own community (72 per cent), and themselves and their own family (69 per cent).
The percentage of people in India who say global warming will cause harm to each of these groups is higher than in 2011: plant and animal species (+15 percentage points), people in India (+13), future generations of people (+11), people in their own community (+12), and themselves and their own family (+13).
Large majorities of people in India say global warming will cause either a “great deal” or a “moderate amount” of harm to people and other species. That includes plant and animal species (80 per cent), people in India (77 per cent), future generations of people (77 per cent), people in their own community (72 per cent), and themselves and their own family (69 per cent).
The percentage of people in India who say global warming will cause harm to each of these groups is higher than in 2011: plant and animal species (+15 percentage points), people in India (+13), future generations of people (+11), people in their own community (+12), and themselves and their own family (+13).
–IANS
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