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Responding to Threats » Climate Responses in a Developing Country

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Edexcel spec: 7.3 The responses to desertification, deforestation and climate change (c)

How individuals in India respond to climate change
What organisations and the Indian government do
Why India's responses differ from those of the UK
How to write a clear answer using a named emerging country

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Responding to climate change in India

In the last lesson you studied the UK, a developed country. The spec also asks for responses in a named emerging or developing country. Our named country is India, an emerging country with a very large and fast-growing population. India's total emissions are high because so many people live there, but the emissions of each person are far lower than in the UK. India is also very exposed to climate change, with heatwaves, floods, and monsoon rains that are becoming harder to predict. Use mitigation and adaptation as you did before.

Key terms:

Emerging country: a country whose economy is growing quickly, with industry spreading and incomes rising, but where many people are still poor.
Heat action plan: a plan that warns people of dangerous heat and tells them how to stay safe.

Individuals in India

Most people in India have little money to spare, so their responses are usually simple and low cost. Many are adaptation, because people are already dealing with the effects.

🌾 Farmers

Farmers who depend on the monsoon change what they grow. Some choose crops that need less water or cope with heat, and some collect rainwater in ponds and tanks to use in dry spells. This is adaptation.

🏡 Households

Families in cities and villages use cheap solar lamps and solar water heaters, and rooftop solar panels where they can afford them. Others use shade and cooler building materials to cope with heat. Using solar power is mitigation because it replaces fuel that gives out greenhouse gases.

Compared with the UK, individuals in India have less money for things like electric cars or heat pumps, so fewer people can choose these options. Many are also trying to improve their standard of living, which tends to raise energy use.

Organisations in India

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs): the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) works with poor women workers. It helps them cope with extreme heat and floods, for example by sharing safety advice and supporting new ways to earn money. This is adaptation.
Research and campaign groups: the Centre for Science and Environment is an Indian organisation that studies pollution and climate change and presses the government and industry to act.
International organisations: India works with other countries. In 2015 India and France launched the International Solar Alliance, which encourages the use of solar power in sunny countries.

A strength is that NGOs can reach poor communities that the state may miss. A limit is that they have little money and cannot make laws, so their work is often small scale.

The Indian government

The government can plan for the whole country. Its responses include:

National plan: in 2008 India launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change. It has missions on areas such as solar energy, saving energy, water and farming.
Solar power: the National Solar Mission began in 2010 to build large solar farms and rooftop schemes. India has hot, sunny weather, so solar power is a good fit. This is mitigation.
Clean cooking: the Ujjwala scheme, started in 2016, helps poorer households to get cleaner cooking gas instead of burning wood or dung. This cuts smoke indoors and reduces pressure on forests.
City heat plans: in 2013 the city of Ahmedabad launched a heat action plan, with early warnings, advice and cooling places for people. Other cities have copied it. This is adaptation.
International targets: at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021, India promised to reach net zero by 2070. This is later than the UK's date of 2050.

Worked example

Question: Describe one response to climate change by the government of a named emerging country. Answer: In India, the government began the National Solar Mission in 2010 (1). It encourages the building of solar farms and rooftop solar panels (1). This is mitigation because solar power gives out no carbon dioxide when making electricity (1).

Comparing India with the UK

The same three levels of response appear in both countries, but the balance is different.

🌾 India

Adaptation matters more to its poorer people, because they already face heat, floods and unreliable rain. India also does a lot of mitigation, especially solar power. Less money is available, so the aim is often to keep growing while using cleaner energy. Net zero is planned for 2070.

🏛 UK

More of its effort goes into mitigation, because the UK has the wealth to cut emissions and a long history of burning fossil fuels. It has a law and a net zero target for 2050, and coal power has ended.

India often says that richer countries caused most of the extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, so they should do more and help to pay for the changes poorer countries need. Remember that the actions of an emerging country are shaped by its need to raise incomes as well as protect the climate.

Common mistakes

Mixing up the countries. The UK is the developed country and India is the emerging one.
Saying "India does nothing". India has many responses; the point is that they differ from the UK's.
Giving a vague answer such as "the government helps". Name an action, such as the National Solar Mission.
Mixing up mitigation and adaptation. Solar farms cut emissions; heat action plans help people cope.
Writing about the causes or impacts of climate change instead of the responses.

Exam-style question

(a) Describe one response to climate change by individuals or organisations in a named emerging or developing country. [2 marks]

(b) Explain one way the response of a developing or emerging country may differ from that of a developed country. [3 marks]

Model answer

(a) In India, farmers collect rainwater in ponds and tanks (1) so they have water to grow crops when the monsoon rains are poor (1).

(b) Adaptation matters more in India, for example heat action plans in cities such as Ahmedabad (1). People in India already face dangerous heat and floods (1), whereas the UK has more money to focus on cutting emissions, for example by ending coal power (1).

Exam tip

For a "differ" question, make a point about each country. Use words such as "whereas" and "but" to show the comparison.

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