Enough about climate change

A dense curtain of smog obscures the city skyline at Sewri on January 1. Pic/Shadab Khan

It's weird how so many people outside India spend so much time worrying about the most inconsequential things. This is something most of us have known for years, of course, but it bears repeating now and again if only to serve as a reminder of how lucky we all are. Consider the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP28, that concluded in Dubai a little over a month ago. It attracted a whole lot of headlines, as well as a lot of criticism, none of which bothered the average Indian on the street in the least.

We just didn't care because it didn't matter to us, and I wish more foreigners were as laid-back and casual. Unfortunately, as is almost always the case, a lot of them chose to ask some unnecessary questions instead.

For a start, there was criticism about how a number of delegates had chosen to travel to the conference. Apparently, of the 70,000 participants from nearly 200 countries, hundreds got there by private jet. There was anger about how three delegates from the United Kingdom alone - that country's prime minister, foreign secretary, and king - chose to travel in three separate planes instead of doing what most of us would and take just one private plane. It reminded critics of the previous year's conference, held in Egypt, where 315 delegates had travelled by private jet. That smaller number was explained by world leaders attending a G20 summit in Bali at the time.

The question that popped up in my mind almost immediately was this: how does it matter if there is one private jet or a thousand, given that these summits are one of the few perks enjoyed by our lords, prime ministers, and masters? What are leaders supposed to do, not travel to conferences and do some actual work in their home countries instead? If none of us know the names of people representing India at the COP28, it's because we all recognise how pointless these exercises really are. Why is it so hard for the rest of the world to grasp that idea?

Then there was some horror expressed at who was invited to COP28. According to a lobbying watchdog called F Minus that was launched in July 2023, some American charities that claimed to care about climate action were employing lobbying firms that also worked for fossil fuel companies. Critics couldn't fathom how firms could publicise both sides of the issue with any impartiality. I didn't understand the criticism because this is an idea that would make most Indians laugh out loud. I would even argue that the concept is entrenched in every aspect of our political system. It's how some of our politicians have the capacity to flip sides, opinions, and even manifestos every 12 hours or so. And so, naturally, most Indian newspapers didn't even bother mentioning this alleged conflict of interest.

This is just one of a million other reasons why India should adopt a leadership position and coach the world on how to approach the climate non-issue. We should be more vocal about how we have ignored the environment for decades without major repercussions. It's why we breathe the purest air, eat the safest food, and swim in the cleanest rivers on Earth. In fact, these facts now make me wonder if we needed to send any delegates to COP28 at all.

Another thing that protects India from issues like these is the simple fact that there are no lobbies operating within our borders. They don't need to because business houses here have never pushed their interests forward in any illegal manner. The idea of a business baron paying for a minister's campaign and then electing him to power is pure fiction, of the kind that even the supremely talented filmmaker of Animal would laugh off as too far-fetched. We are a happier, safer country, because we have no lobbies or special interest groups, and anyone who believes such groups exist probably believes in the lie that is global warming too. There is no hope for these people.

Climate change is just something thought up by leaders who like to believe they are excellent problem-solvers. True leadership is about recognising and acknowledging real issues, such as how a government building should be renovated or whom a cricket stadium should be named after. Everything else is just a distraction, and the world needs to adopt this attitude if it wants to replicate the success story that is today's New India.

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.