The global community is witnessing an alarming increase in frequency, intensity and scale of broken climate records, as the average global temperature is increasing at a rate of about 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade. Reports suggest that in 2025 alone, heatwaves in Europe killed thousands and wildfires caused more than 400,000 hectares of infrastructure damage, while the US lost a staggering $15 billion to weather disasters till June 2025. Asia recorded warming at twice the global average, fuelling extreme weather events, causing severe strain on lives, economies and resources.
Further, projected temperature rise likely to exceed more than 1.5°C in near future would lead to widespread disruptions and intense damage to agriculture and water sectors, eco-sytems, infrastructure, health and developmental dividends. The global climate regime is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The dominant discourse that has largely driven the global climate agenda has been the western worldview which sees nature as a commodity. This approach that has fuelled economic growth in Western countries since the industrial revolution, has come at a heavy environmental cost, resulting in current challenges of climate crises, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss.
Reluctance to assume their historical responsibility towards the current carbon stock at the global climate negotiations (COP), developed countries have failed to honour their finance and technology commitments, flattened the equity and differentiated responsibility principles in the Paris Climate Agreement and have largely ignored the voices of indigenous peoples calling for climate justice, resulting in the growing trust deficit in the negotiation process and incremental climate outcomes. The technological innovations, action plans and increase in renewable capacities prove to be highly inadequate to curb temperature rise or help communities deal with climate impacts.
Global greenhouse gas emissions, as per the UN Emission Gap report, set a new record of 57.7 GtCO2e in 2024, a 2.3 per cent increase from 2023 levels, with the power sector contributing the highest, as rampant fossil fuel use continues. If the dominant discourse considers nature and environment as merely exploitable resources and commodities, there is little hope of solving the climate crises. This is despite the limited time window to curb temperature levels within liveable limits of 1.5 degree C, as mentioned in the Paris Agreement. Going ahead, what is that fundamental thinking shift required for real, sustainable, transformative actions and who can provide that?
In our understanding, the only philosophical approach that can offer a more balanced view point involving peaceful co-existence with nature and based on reverence towards nature is the ancient Bharatiya Approach. It is this living civilization that stresses on the idea of “Mother Earth” – the earth as a living entity rather than a resource; Vasudaiva Kutumbakam- World as One Family rather than focusing on a particular sect or faith, and minimalism based on responsible consumption and Nyay – justice for the needy and vulnerable. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad talks of sarvātmabhāva, meaning one’s identification with all while the Bhagavad Gita promotes collective action for environmental conservation for communities’ own survival.
In application, the means of production and distribution revolved around nature conservation. Sustainable lifestyles involved reduced and moderate consumption, minimal wastage, material reuse, balanced diets, mindful living with more focus on the quality of life. By ascribing sacredness to all beings and ecosystems at large, the Bharatiya Sanatana outlook has ingrained sustainability as part of collective consciousness and wisdom. It is this traditional Indian worldview that needs to drive global climate and environmental agenda. In practice, this goes beyond focus on just nature-based solutions, environmental management, forming regulations and implementing action plans.
It deals with laying the right foundation for strong structural shifts in economies and energy systems; revamping the global financial architecture and global governance systems; and advocating pro-environmental education, lifestyles and consumption patterns for balanced and inclusive approach to climate crises. It promotes cooperation, building capacities, enabling technology transfer and forward-looking finance to the poor and vulnerable countries to choose science and equity based alternative developmental pathways. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has pursued an ambitious and proactive climate agenda integrating with wider developmental goals.
Initiatives such as Mission LiFE for pro-environment friendly lifestyles, circular economy framework for resource-resilient economy, renewable energy capacity, community-based adaptation actions etc are examples of its commitment to its traditional ethos. Additionally, special focus on vulnerable sections including farmers and women to make them self-reliant and equal stakeholders in India’s developmental journey, are historic shifts to promote justice and inclusiveness. Examples are Mission Shakti, Ujjwala Yojana, gender-sensitive planning and PM-KISAN, PM Fasal Bima Yojana and National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture etc. With its focus on collective climate actions, India has pushed for partnerships, capacity building initiatives, multi-stakeholder approaches across levels towards climate planning and implementation. Highlighting the need for shift to re-define development, PM Modi has even suggested developing the concept of a “green gross domestic product.” While the long-standing western approach has been detrimental to climate cause, global climate agenda needs traditional Indian wisdom as its core narrative to promote environmental-friendly balanced and inclusive development.
(The writers are, respectively, National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party, and an expert who works and writes on climate change aspects.)