Indian weather is becoming warmer every year, breaking historical records of rising temperatures. As per the latest IMD report, 2022 was the warmest year since 1901. The increased frequency of heatwaves, floods, droughts, and incessant rains is affecting a large number of people in the country. Ravaging floods in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and more recently Sikkim are glaring examples of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. However, the resilience of human beings and their ingenuity in the past have proven that they can create and innovate different solutions to deal with any kind of climate challenge or crisis.
Governments and international organisations across the world have already been taking various measures to deal with the problem of climate change and come up with innovative solutions to transition towards a low-carbon development strategy. However, the challenge of climate change and adaptation is very complex. It needs a multi-stakeholder approach where institutions and communities come together to mitigate, adapt and build resilience. This includes making both strategy changes at a corporate level and behavioural changes at an individual level for the benefit of the environment.
Institutional nudge towards behavioural change
The Government of India has been at the forefront of bringing about behavioural change among its people through various initiatives. India submitted its Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) on November 14, 2022, at COP 27. The LT-LEDS is prepared keeping in mind the principles of climate justice and sustainable lifestyles. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) to encourage people towards sustainable living. The scheme is aimed at strengthening the concept of ‘pro-planet people’ who live a lifestyle that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it. In fact, international organisations have also launched similar initiatives to gently push people towards sustainable and environmentally sensitive behaviour. For instance, UNEP has launched the ‘Little Book of Green Nudges’ to inspire up to 200 million students around the globe to adopt environmentally friendly habits and greener lifestyles.
Government institutions and policymakers can also nudge corporates to adopt environmentally friendly practices through policies and regulations by providing subsidies and rebates, developing green infrastructure, and investing in research and development of clean technologies. For instance, many state governments of India have launched an electric vehicle (EV) policy to increase EV adoption among the people by providing different kinds of purchase incentives in terms of tax rebates, subsidies, and cash incentives. The next step here would be to have clear policies for end-of-life vehicle recycling and simplify renewable energy policies to further accelerate corporate adoption across states.
Many private sector companies have also adopted sustainable practices at the organisational level and incentivised their employees to adopt these practices to protect the environment and climate change. For instance, Mahindra has adopted the concept of being ‘Planet Positive’ and has taken various steps for greening its operations, supporting the decarbonisation of its industries and rejuvenating nature, and working actively to integrate sustainability as part of the core strategy for its various businesses.
Global philanthropic organisations also have a critical role to play as catalysts for the creation of an ecosystem that accelerates green transition through collaboration, financial support, and technical expertise. For instance, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is working towards promoting clean energy access in emerging economies. Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, governments, multi-laterals, and the private sector, it is taking multiple initiatives including facilitating start-up networks, driving innovation in clean energy operations, and developing a resource centre for energy efficiency, to name a few.
Role of Indian communities and people
Indian communities and people have always been pro-nature. They have been living in harmony with nature for ages, as reiterated by Prime Minister Modi in his speeches on climate action and sustainability. Sustainable practices such as recycling items, sun-drying clothes and using locally sourced materials for building homes have been part of people’s lives since time immemorial. These practices can be popularised through different mediums so that more people adopt them.
The goal is to create a model for sustainable lifestyles by rethinking the ways of living and consumption. The idea is not only to have conversations about climate change and environmental degradation but to adopt these practices in our daily lives. It can only happen when conversations about sustainability and climate ‘action’ become part of our everyday behaviour.
Motivating people to address climate change has various challenges. Different surveys have found that, in general, people from developed countries are not willing to change their lifestyles and habits to address climate change. This is why there is a need for awareness and sensitisation. Educational institutions, traditional and social media can play an important role in not only creating awareness but also nudging people to adopt sustainable practices and behaviours. For instance, campaigns like ‘Unplastic India’, which aims to reduce the usage of single-use plastic in India, are an example in this direction.
Role of the Indian corporate sector
Stakeholder expectations from businesses have evolved from delivering growth to focusing on growth which is considerate of the value of the environment. Many companies have already made net-zero commitments at the global level. However, the majority of corporate India is still taking the first steps to crack the sustainability maze. Sustainability is no longer a standalone function, but rather its impact is now pervasive across business functions, from strategy and operations to finance and governance.
Corporate boards have a critical role to play and need to orient themselves to accelerate the green transition through bold commitments and measurement of progress. Companies need to ensure that their long-term business strategy is in line with their environmental commitments. Boards need to set and monitor climate targets with rigour equal to financial targets and administer prudent capital allocation between decarbonising existing businesses and building new green businesses. Another key intervention for boards will be to link executive compensation with company performance on sustainability metrics (e.g., share of renewable energy, reduction in emissions, etc.).
Given the fast-evolving nature of the sustainability conversation, there is an increased need to have a global radar and build high internal competence on sustainability and climate action amongst business leaders. Board supervision will continue to be critical for reporting and disclosures and to ensure actions are in line with both global and national standards and frameworks. Corporates will need to continue to invest and work towards integrating climate action with their core purpose and business strategy.
Saurabh Kumar is Vice President, India, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP); Abanti Sankaranarayanan is Chief Group Public Affairs & Sustainability Officer and Group Executive Board Member, Mahindra Group. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.