How India could be a game-changer in the war on global warming

As the conversation about human contributions to climate change begin to focus on the nations poised to contribute most to future problems, experts speculate on whether India will follow China in curbing emissions.

by John Tyburski

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First published at Daily Digest News on December 2, 2014

Climate change talks have largely focused on policy-making deals in the nations that created the problem with their fossil fuel emissions—the United States and European Union countries. Now the climate change world is shifting its attention on the developing nations positioned to be either major contributors to future greenhouse gas emissions or models of how to regulate the emissions.

In fact, China has stepped up to the challenge and has agreed to join the U.S. in making firm commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The new critical questions is this. Will India follow suit?

India is currently the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter and has a legacy of standing next to China on climate change policy. With representatives from 200 nations meeting in Lima, Peru, to discuss climate change management, a high probability that India will act responsibly is emerging.

Both India and China face the problem that burning fossil fuels not only contributes to the global greenhouse gas burden but also produces local air pollution problems. Both nations have experienced even deadly levels of local air pollution to the extent that the World Health Organization now monitors for airborne particulate concentrations above acceptable limits in many cities in China and India.

Airborne particulates are widely believed to be the most detrimental type of air pollution for human health. More than half of the cities in China and India fail their own airborne particulate standards. This pollution exerts tremendous negative impact on these emerging economies by shortening lives and negatively influencing health. As a result, China’s residents increasingly call for better emissions regulation, and the government has responded with policies to move away from coal and other fossil fuels.

India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, has acknowledged the nation’s air pollution problem, which some say is worse than China’s. Modi promised to make air quality data publicly available. More recently, the Indian government has said it will announce revised emissions standards for power generation facilities.

The rest of the world is waiting to see whether India will follow China in translating pledges into actions.