The State Of India's Environment Over The Years Since Independence In Six Charts

This Independence Week, The Secretariat delves into a few key data points that exhibit India’s progress or lack thereof on the road to sustainability. Whether it's the rising forest cover or the push for cleaner energy, each milestone reflects the nation’s efforts to balance its aspirations for economic progress with the need to preserve its natural resources.

Through this lens, we explore how far India has come and the challenges that lie ahead in its quest for a sustainable future.

Rising Temperature

Ed Hawkins' Climate Stripes, also known as the "warming stripes," provide a simple yet powerful visualisation of global warming. Each stripe represents the average temperature of a year, with cooler years shown in blue and warmer years in red. The stripes illustrate how temperatures have shifted over time due to human-induced climate change, making the issue of global warming immediately visible and relatable.

For India, the climate stripes reveal a stark reality. Over the decades, the blues have gradually given way to an overwhelming dominance of reds, symbolising the country's rising temperatures. This warming trend seriously affects India's vast population, with increasing heatwaves, changing monsoon patterns, and stressed water resources. The stripes serve as a reminder that India is among the most vulnerable nations in the world to the impact of climate change.

The country finds itself balancing itself on a tightrope, facing the challenges posed by climate change, as well as, making headway toward climate action to mitigate its effects.

Rising Forest Cover 

The Forest Survey of India assesses the forest cover mapping of the country on a two-year cycle using satellite data. But, in the beginning, the process wasn't so straightforward. The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) used satellite imagery to estimate India's forest cover in 1971-1975 and 1980-1982 and found a loss of 2.79 per cent in just seven years, from 16.89 per cent to 14.10 per cent. The government was initially reluctant to accept the NRSA's findings, but after negotiations, the NRSA and the newly established Forest Survey of India "reconciled" India's forest cover at 19.53 per cent in 1987.

India’s official data shows an increase in forest cover from 19.53 per cent in the 1980s to 21.71 per cent in 2021, a trend that might seem encouraging at first glance. However, this rise in green cover masks a more complex reality. A significant portion of this increase is attributed to plantations and not natural forests. While plantations contribute to the overall tree cover, they often lack the biodiversity and ecological richness of natural forests, offering limited benefits to wildlife and local communities.

This trend raises important questions about the quality of India’s green cover. Natural forests are vital ecosystems that support diverse flora and fauna, regulate the climate, and sustain indigenous populations. In contrast, plantations, often consisting of monocultures, do not provide the same ecological services. Thus, while the numbers suggest progress, the ground realities reveal a nuanced picture—one where the true health of India’s forests remains a concern despite the apparent gains in coverage. 

Freshwater Withdrawals

India is one of the leading nations in extracting groundwater from aquifers, a practice that raises significant concerns since many of these aquifers cannot be replenished. India's water extraction has almost doubled from when it got its independence till 2020.

The growing demand for water driven by an increasing population threatens not only water availability but also food security, particularly in an agrarian economy like India’s.

A significant portion of the water extracted is used for agricultural purposes. Unfortunately, government subsidies encourage the cultivation of water-intensive crops such as cotton, paddy, and sugarcane. These incentives, combined with subsidies on electricity for farmers, create a problematic scenario that exacerbates water depletion.

To address this critical issue, India could diversify the crops grown for central procurement, focusing on less water-intensive options. Additionally, promoting water-efficient irrigation practices is essential. While the government has policies in place to support such practices, there is a pressing need to reassess and strengthen these efforts to combat the looming water scarcity crisis.

Emissions Rise

India is currently the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally. The primary reasons for this high emission level are the country's need to generate power, operate vehicles, and run industrial machinery. Given India's status as a developing nation with a large and dense population, it is challenging to drastically curb all emissions.

However, it’s important to note that India's per capita emissions are still lower than those of developed nations. For example, the average Indian emits significantly less than the average person in the United States.

India has also taken significant steps to mitigate its emissions. These include expanding renewable energy sources, promoting sustainable mobility, and working towards establishing a carbon market. This carbon market would place the responsibility for reducing emissions on individual companies rather than on the public or the government.

India's commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070 underscores the nation's dedication to tackling climate change. Achieving this goal will help prevent India from becoming the largest contributor to environmental degradation and the worsening climate crisis.

Nevertheless, the country faces an uphill battle in balancing its developmental and environmental goals. The outcome of this struggle remains to be seen and only time will tell who will win this battle. 

Renewing The Commitment To Renewables

The power demand in the country has grown significantly over the years. While the reason for the boom in India’s power demand can be attributed to the size and population of the country, we also have to factor in that India is considered a developing economy. Unlike other developed countries that were part of the Industrial Revolution, which also makes them the culprit for climate change, India had its own path.

As the country grows in a vast way, the rapid increase in power demand is the by-product of this. To meet the power demands, India has conventionally turned to non-renewable energy such as coal etc. This has been one of the leading reasons why India is counted as among the top five emitting nations. 

That said, with the ever-changing landscape of the country, the policies have changed as well as grown to address the issue of climate change. India has made huge strides in diversifying the way India powers itself up. 

While non-renewable energy has the biggest share of the pie, renewable energy is catching on rapidly. Solar among other renewable energy sources has been utilised the most by the government over recent years. 

On the backs of policies and subsidies offered by the government on a state and central level to create a market for renewable energy, solar has had the most success. According to the economic survey, the country’s energy transition efforts have yielded good results. India’s installed capacity for renewable energy is 190.57 gigawatts (GW), representing 43.12 per cent of the nation’s total installed power generation capacity.

The government in its  2024 budget noted that India will diversify its renewable energy effort. The new strategies emphasised in the budget for energy transition and energy security will be based on accessibility, affordability, and availability. 

Among the new initiatives by the government include pumped storage and nuclear and thermal plants. While proof of the pudding is in the eating, the government seems resolute in its aim to reach Net Zero by 2070.