91 PERCENT OF PEOPLE IN INDIA ARE WORRIED ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING
86% support the Indian government’s ‘Net Zero’ commitment
to reduce India’s carbon pollution to nearly zero by 2070
May 17, 2024 – (New Haven, CT) Large majorities of the Indian public say global warming is happening, a serious threat to India, and support government action on climate change, according to results from a nationally representative survey released in the United States by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and CVoter International.
The report, titled“Climate Change in the Indian Mind, 2023,” finds that:
- 54% of people in India say they know either “just a little” about global warming or have never heard of it, while only 10% say they know “a lot.”
- However, when given a short definition of global warming and how it affects weather patterns, 78% of people in India say they think global warming is happening.
- 52% think global warming is caused mostly by human activities, while 38% think it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment.
- Majorities think global warming affects weather in their local area (71%) and monsoons in India (76%) either “a lot” or “some.”
Meanwhile, 91% of people in India are worried about global warming, including 59% who are “very worried”.
However, only 33% say they hear about global warming in the media at least once a week.
“India is already experiencing climate impacts, from record heatwaves to severe floods to stronger storms,” said Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz of Yale University. “While many in India still do not know much about global warming, they overwhelmingly think the climate is changing and are worried about it.”
Majorities also support government action on climate change:
- 86% favor the Indian government’s ‘Net Zero’ commitment to reduce India’s carbon pollution to nearly zero by 2070.
- 67% say leaving most of India’s coal in the ground is the best pathway to a healthy, safe, and prosperous future for India.
- 84% favor banning the construction of new coal power plants, closing existing ones, and replacing them with solar and wind energy.
- 74% think that overall, taking action to reduce global warming will either improve economic growth and provide new jobs (51%) or have no effect on economic growth or jobs (23%). Only 21% think it will reduce economic growth and cost jobs.
- 61% think India should increase its use of renewable sources of energy, while only 14% think India should increase its use of fossil fuels.
Moreover, 75% say they would be willing to pay more for energy-efficient appliances and electric vehicles to reduce costs and global warming.
“Indians strongly support the clean energy transition, which they see as beneficial for the economy and their health,” said Dr. Jagadish Thaker of the University of Queensland. “And importantly, majorities support the 2070 ‘Net Zero’ goal to reduce carbon pollution to nearly zero and are personally willing to commit to actions to achieve it.”
At COP26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a global mass movement for behavior change, Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE), and asked people to take the following three pledges: to make big changes in their daily life in order to protect the environment, to persuade their family and friends to take environment-friendly actions, and to publicly demonstrate environment-friendly actions in order to influence others.
Large majorities of Indians say that they are willing to take these three actions:
- Asked how willing they are to make big changes in their daily life in order to protect the environment, a large majority of people in India (79%) say they are either “already doing this” (25%) or are “definitely” willing to do it (54%).
- Asked how willing they are to persuade their family and friends to take environment-friendly actions, a large majority of people in India (78%) say they are either “already doing this” (26%) or are “definitely” willing to do it (52%).
- Asked how willing they are to publicly demonstrate environment-friendly actions in order to influence others, a large majority of people in India (71%) say they are either “already doing this” (20%) or are “definitely” willing to do it (51%).
These and other findings come from a nationally representative survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and CVoter International. The telephone survey of 2,178 Indian adults (18+) was conducted in September – October 2023.
