Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

3. Support for Climate and Energy Policies

3.1 Most people in India favor policies to address environmental problems.

Large majorities of people in India either “strongly” or “somewhat” favor policies to address environmental problems in India, including:

• A national program to train people for new jobs in the renewable energy industry such as wind and solar (94%).
• A national program to teach all Indians about global warming (93%).
• A national program to fund women’s groups and Indigenous communities to protect the environment (89%).
• Preserving or expanding forested areas, even if this means less land for agriculture or housing (79%).
• Requiring new buildings to waste less water and energy, even if this increases their cost (76%).

3.2 A majority of people in India say the government should be doing more to address global warming.

Seventy-eight percent of people in India say the government of India should be doing either “much more” (63%) or “more” (15%) to address global warming. By contrast, only 10% say the government is currently doing the right amount to address global warming, and 9% say the government should be doing either “less” (5%) or “much less” (5%) to address the issue (refer to data tables, p. 51).

3.3 Most people in India favor the Indian government’s commitment to reduce India’s carbon pollution to nearly zero by 2070.

At the 26th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) in November 2021, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s commitment to reach net zero (or nearly zero) carbon pollution by 2070. A large majority of people in India (86%) say they either “strongly favor” (69%) or “somewhat favor” (17%) this commitment. In contrast, only 11% of Indians either “strongly oppose” (7%) or “somewhat oppose” (3%) this commitment.

3.4 Large majorities of people in India think the energy transition will reduce air pollution and global warming.

People in India were asked about potential impacts if India were to transition from using coal to using wind and solar energy to produce electricity. Large majorities say doing so would reduce air pollution (87%) and reduce global warming (85%).

Many people in India, however, also think that transitioning from coal to wind and solar would cause electricity outages (56%), increase unemployment in India (55%), and increase electricity prices (54%).

3.5 Nearly two-thirds of people in India say India should leave most of its coal in the ground.

Asked about the best pathway to a healthy, safe, and prosperous future for India, nearly two in three people in India (65%) say it would be best to leave most of India’s coal in the ground. By comparison, 29% say it would be best to rely on India’s abundant coal for decades to come, while fewer (5%) say they don’t know.

3.6 A large majority of people in India favor banning the construction of new coal power plants and closing existing ones.

Respondents were presented with the following statement: “As you may know, about 75% of electricity in India comes from burning coal. But burning coal also causes air pollution and contributes to global warming.” Then, they were asked how much they favor or oppose the government banning the construction of new coal power plants, closing existing ones, and replacing them with solar and wind energy.

A large majority of people in India (84%) say they “strongly favor” (68%) or “somewhat favor” (17%) banning the construction of new coal power plants, closing existing ones, and replacing them with solar and wind energy. By comparison, 13% say they “strongly oppose” (7%) or “somewhat oppose” (6%) doing so, while 2% say they don’t know.